Cupid's Arrow
by BunnyGoBoom
Summary: Felicity spends Valentine's Day in a way she hadn't expected. Cover image by dhfreak06.
1. Cupid's Arrow

This is just something quick I wrote for Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Felicity sauntered out of her bedroom, fresh from the shower and feeling comfy in her oversized _Doctor Who_ t-shirt and lace-trimmed boyshorts.

It was Valentine's Day and, according to her mother, she should be out on a date. Instead, she planned to eat all the chocolates in the heart-shaped box she picked up after work and watch TV. None of that sappy lovey-dovey stuff, though; she needed a laugh, or maybe an action movie with a hot male lead.

"Hello, Paperweight! How's my baby?" she cooed at her tiny pet Russian tortoise as she took the bowl of water from his terrarium to clean out and refill. When she was done, she placed it in its usual corner and noisily puckered her lips at her pet before grabbing the candy box off the kitchen counter. Eager for sugar, she trotted over to the couch and sat down. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels while she tore the impeding plastic separating her from yummy goodness.

"Yay!" she squealed as she found a show she liked. She had only missed the first couple minutes and now the theme song was playing. She knew all the words so she _had_ to sing along and do all the hand movements:

"_Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,_

_Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait..._

_The Earth began to cool, _

_The autotrophs began to drool,_

_Neanderthals developed tools,_

_We built a wall (we built the pyramids),_

_Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,_

_That all started with the big bang! BANG!"_

"You really should remember to lock your windows,"

Chocolates flew everywhere as Felicity jumped out of her seat.

Oliver was glad he had one more person he could trust, but he hated the thought of putting Felicity in danger. If there was another way to survive getting shot, he would've stayed out of her car. He had been desperate, and now he had a new responsibility.

And he was going to make sure she was safe.

He had no problem finding Felicity's address in the company records, something that actually worried him; if someone knew she helped the Hood, they could find it just as easily. Planning to go on patrol later, he traveled halfway across town in his signature green getup and used the fire escape to get to her window.

The window was in her bedroom, which made things awkward since he arrived just as she was dressing. He didn't actually see anything; the curtains were closed. But those curtains were thin and a light was on in the room. Her silhouette wasn't what he expected from a computer geek. He almost thought he had the wrong apartment.

When she turned off the light and left, he tested the window, which wasn't locked. He'd definitely have a talk with her about that. As he closed the window behind him, he heard her speaking in the living room.

"Hello, Paperweight!" she cooed. "How's my baby?"

"Paperweight?" he mouthed in confusion. Oliver carefully made his way to the open bedroom door and looked out into the living area. He could hear water running, and he saw a terrarium across the room that contained a turtle.

Oh, Paperweight. Cute.

Felicity came into view. Oliver mentally chastised himself for staring at her legs as she bent over to place the water dish in the enclosure. Hey, stop that! Look away! Then he tried not to chuckle at the sound of her blowing kisses to her pet turtle.

He considered showing himself as she sat down on the couch, but he was enjoying this too much. Oliver never saw her so relaxed.

And, he admitted, she was being really adorable.

Felicity sat cross-legged on the couch and tore at a plastic-wrapped chocolate box as she clicked through the channels. She got excited when she found a show she liked.

"_Our whole universe was in a hot dense state…"_

Just when he though she couldn't get any cuter, she started singing along to the theme song, complete with corresponding hand gestures.

If he watched her any longer, he'd start feeling like a creeper. So he snuck up behind her.

"You really should remember to lock your windows,"

Felicity spazzed out, chocolates flying everywhere. She didn't scream like he'd expected; it was more of a squeal. He tried very hard to keep from laughing.

"Please don't hurt…What the hell, Oliver?!" she exclaimed just before turning off the TV.

"I came to check on you." he answered, taking off his hood.

"_You _came to check—_You're_ the one who got shot!" she argued, hugging the empty chocolate box.

"And you're the one who found out my secret," he countered. "So I came to make sure your security was up to my standards."

"But why tonight? Shouldn't you be out with a model or something?"

Oliver shrugged off his bow and quiver. "Not in the mood. And since my mom and sister decided to watch a Hallmark movie marathon, I figured I'd go on patrol. You know, for practice. But only after checking on you."

"Okay…" She looked at him questioningly. "So you thought you should break into my apartment while in your costume?"

"I don't think it's a break-in if the window is unlocked."

Felicity nodded admittedly until something else occurred to her. "The one that leads to the fire escape? The one in my bedroom?"

"I didn't see anything." he said innocently.

"You better not have," she warned, crossing her arms. "So, are you just going to scold me for not locking my window, or are you also here to prick me with one of your love arrows?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Um… That came out way dirtier than I intended." Oliver was still looking at her strangely. "I was trying to make a Cupid reference and it came out horribly wrong."

"That it did,"

"Yeah," She glanced down awkwardly and noticed her bare legs. "Holy crap, I just realized I'm not wearing pants!" Felicity gasped as she dropped the box and bashfully pulled her t-shirt down to cover herself.

"It's not like I haven't seen a woman's legs before," Oliver says, leaning forward on the back of the couch.

"Very funny, hood boy."

"You know, I really don't like that name."

"Okay, Kermit," she replied cheekily. "How about you look away while I go into my room to put some pants on?"

"Did you just call me Kermit?" Oilver smiled despite her irritation. "You're so cute."

Surprised by his response, it took her a second to collect her thoughts. "Oh… y-yeah? Well, I'll show you cute, you deadly leprechaun! I… could totally fry, like, everything I set up in your lair, or whatever you call it."

"Oh, I'm shaking," he quipped.

Felicity stared at him for a second, suddenly wanting to play his little game. "By the way, you might want to go easy on the eye shadow next time; it takes away from your natural beauty."

"Excuse me?" he responded with a laugh.

"Less is more."

Oliver took a minute to drum his fingers on the back of the couch, eyeing Felicity playfully. Then he strolled around to the front and they stood face the face.

"This is a mask."

"Oh, like a mud mask? That explains the color."

Smirking, Oliver dragged three gloved fingers under his eye and then smeared the green face paint all over Felicity's left cheek. She gaped at him indignantly.

"It looks good on you," he said, gesturing to the three green stripes.

But Felicity was ready with a comeback. "Oh, darn. Now you'll have to fix your makeup before you go."

"Are you saying you want me to go?"

"Yes, please,"

Oliver smiled at her and crossed his arms. "I'll be on my way, then."

After he picked up his gear, Felicity followed him to her bedroom.

"Remember to lock it behind me," he reminded as he stepped through the window.

"Yes, sir," Felicity rested her hands on the sides of the frame and poked her head out. "Gotta keep the crazies out."

Crouched on the fire escape, Oliver leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Please be careful."

Felicity blinked, stunned by the contact. She shook it off quickly. "You too, El Aquero."

"I'm not a luchador." he said, chuckling. They were still close, only inches apart.

"Well, obviously; they have real masks and not crazy eye shadow."

"Would you like face paint on your other cheek?"

"No, but I wouldn't mind another kiss—uh, I mean—"

Oliver rocked forward and kissed her firmly on the lips. Then he pulled away just enough for her to speak.

"I… meant on the cheek…" she said, breathless and clearly craving more.

Smiling, he kissed her again, and this time Felicity ran her fingers through his hair. Lips still on hers, he slowly climbed back through the window.

The moment both feet hit the floor, Oliver took off his quiver and bow, and closed the window. Then Felicity pulled the zipper down on his jacket. He peeled it off his shoulders and pulled off his t-shirt as her hands roamed, being careful of his still-healing wound.

Oliver gripped her hips and pulled her closer, their bodies grazing. After taking off his gloves, his fingers inched their way up under her shirt. When he got to her waist, he picked her up and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He walked over to her bed and they fell on the bedspread, still entwined.

Hovering over Felicity, Oliver pulled her hands from the back of his neck and teasingly tugged her shirt up little by little. Biting her lip, she lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side, timidly exposing her naked torso. He moved one hand to her breasts and rubbed them slowly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Soon she was moaning against his lips, her hips rhythmically rocking against his. He knew exactly what she wanted, but was having too much fun tormenting her to oblige just yet. When she seemed barely able to stand it any longer, Oliver grabbed her wrists and forced her hands above her head.

"Answer one question correctly, and I'll give you what you want." he declared, their noses almost touching.

Breathing heavily, she nodded.

"Do you think my mask is stupid?" he asked with a smirk.

Felicity licked her lips. "Yep." she replied daringly.

He gently took her earlobe in his mouth and sucked. "Are you sure?"

She whimpered and bucked. "Ugh, fine! It's awesome, dammit! Now have mercy on me, you sadistic Cupid!"

Taking both wrists in one hand, Oliver unzipped his pants. Then he pushed her panties aside, in too much of a hurry to take them off.

The bed creaked violently as he grinded against her, bringing her closer to the edge. Felicity grabbed his hips and held him closer, creating more friction. She moaned loudly and he pushed harder until she came and he soon after. Sated, he pulled out and fell next to her on the bed.

"Did you plan this?" Felicity asked after she caught her breath.

"No." he admitted. "I may have fantasized about you, but I didn't plan this."

She giggled dazedly, her hands over her eyes.

"What?" Oliver looked at her curiously.

"I just had sex with the hood guy!"

He grins. "You think that's crazy? Oliver Queen just had sex with an IT girl!"

Shaking her head in amazement, Felicity stared at the ceiling. She felt all warm and bubbly, but also a little scared. What did this all mean? Did Oliver really like her, or was he just satisfying his curiosity, like when a person tries new food? He laid there next to her, all stretched out and shirtless and gorgeous, and it just seemed so… weird. Like a dream. Was it just a one-time thing?

Oliver took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He cared about her—he really, really did. So much that he was afraid of what he'd just done. Did this complicate things? It didn't feel like it; he wanted her, over and over again. But that wasn't a good thing, was it? Being so close to her sounded like a bad idea, like it made her a target. He didn't want that for Felicity.

Sighing, Oliver zipped his pants and stood up.

"Leaving already?" Felicity looked on nervously as he picked up his t-shirt. "It's only 9:30."

Oliver was silent for a few seconds as he suited up. "I wish I could stay, but then I might want to spend the night. It wouldn't be good to be seen leaving here in my costume tomorrow."

"Oh," She admitted it was sound logic, but she still would've liked to wake up with him in the morning.

He walks over and plants a tender kiss on her forehead. "Next time I come over, I'll be dressed as Oliver, okay? Won't have to worry about staying the night, then." he said, looking into her eyes.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Okay,"

Felicity watched him climb through the window and wave goodbye.

As her apartment building disappeared behind a taller structure, he wondered at his choice. Was he being selfish? Reckless? Maybe not. Because now he was even more determined to protect her; anyone foolish enough to threaten her would get an arrow in their eye socket.

The way he saw it, he hadn't gained a weakness; he'd gained a motivation.


	2. Remarkable

**I've decided to give in to you lovable suckers who want me to extend my one-shots, but just this once because I don't want to get into a multi-chapter commitment and hit a brick wall. By the way, does anybody mind me being the Queen of M-rated Olicity? 'Cause I'm claiming the throne.**

**Oh, and a thought: What if Robert Queen had never become a liability and the _Queen's Gambit_ had never been sabotaged? What if Oliver had come back all those years ago, completely ruined his relationship with Laurel and then got bored with Sarah? He'd still be an irresponsible playboy five years later, right? And one day he spills a latte on his laptop and takes it to Queen Consolidated to have a geek look at it—a geek named Felicity Smoak. How would he treat her? And as he continues to ask for her help, does he start to like her? An idea if anyone wants it.**

* * *

Valentine's Day was four days ago—or was it more like five?—and Felicity still felt all mushy-gushy and giddy; Oliver/the Hood had _really_ made her holiday. And he said there would be a next time! And he'd stay the night! Felicity had never woken up next to a man before; not that she'd had many opportunities. Her first time was with her classmate in college, and it wasn't exactly magical, nor did it end with him spending the night. And the guy she had sex with after him was… well, Oliver.

But what if Oliver hadn't meant what he said about a next time? What if their little romp had just been a Valentine's Day present to his trusty nerd girl? He did owe her something, didn't he? After all her help… and dammit, where was that red wine he promised? So maybe it really was a payment thing, and he said he'd spend the night next time because… because he was trying to be nice? She wasn't sure. But she braced herself for the possibility. Seriously, as if _the_ Oliver Queen would want to come back for more.

Felicity stared at her monitor, trying to focus and not think about the possibility of another visit from Oliver or how mind-blowingly awesome last Thursday was. But her train of thought refused to stay on track; it constantly wobbled on the rails, teetering with every unbidden flash of hot, Oliver-related memory. Exasperated, she jammed a pen in her mouth and started chewing on the cap. But with her mind in the gutter, it only made things worse. She growled, spitting out the unfortunately phallic writing utensil and chucked it across the room.

_Damn you, Oliver Queen!_ she thought, resting her head on the back of her chair. _Now I can't function! You've ruined me! My mind is mush and it's your fault! Oh, and damn you, too, Cupid! That's right; I know you're involved somehow. Damn you to hell! You people with your bows and arrows—_

Then her phone rang; perhaps it was her boss, Moira Queen, calling to tell her to stop thinking about her son and get back to work. Sighing, Felicity answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Felicity."

It was Oliver. She gaped for a second. "Oh, hey, Oliver. Do you need something?" _Please let it be sex, please let it be sex, please let it be sex…_

"Are you busy tonight?"

_Weeeeeeeee…..! Oh, wait! He might just want me to do some geeky project for him!_ "I'm, uh… no, I don't have any plans."

"Alright. So, I know you have to work tomorrow, but I thought I could come over… dressed as Oliver."

Felicity involuntarily punched the air in triumph then quickly regained her composure. "Sure, that'd be great."

"So, eight or nine? Or should I be there earlier?"

"Let's say 8:30. Is that okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you then," Felicity could hear a smile in his voice.

"Bye,"

After she hung up the phone, she had to bite her lip to keep from squealing, or possibly belting out a few lines from a certain Marvin Gaye song. She was going to see him again! And he was staying the night! And the sooner she got her work done, the more time she'd have to get ready.

Now that she had some motivation, she was able to concentrate on her work.

It was 5:05 when Felicity finished her last assignment. Normally, she'd stay a few more hours and get a jump on the next day's work, but she had plans tonight. _Sexy _plans. And since she wasn't sure how to prepare for it, she needed all the time she could get.

Just as she was gathering her things, Felicity heard a knock on the door frame.

"Hey," It was Karla from Human Resources. "Felicity, right?"

"Yes. Hi, Karla," Felicity tried to be nice, even though Karla usually either treated her as a loser or pretended she was invisible. "Screen freezing again?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you about something," She tossed her pretty red hair over her shoulder and looked at Felicity like she was a peasant. "Doesn't Oliver Queen come to you for tech help?"

Felicity pulled on her jacket. "Yeah, why?"

"I want him to ask me out. I was hoping that you could talk me up the next time he's here, and maybe introduce me."

"You… you think you need my help?"

"No, but it couldn't hurt. Positive comments from his personal computer geek sounds like good PR. And I can't just approach him; can't come off too forward, now can I? Anyway, I'm sure I can take it from there."

Karla's arrogant smile made Felicity want to throw a stapler at her. As if Felicity would be awful enough to manipulate Oliver for her. That _bitch_.

Felicity was silent for a moment as she picked up her purse and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Karla, I'm not sure I can do that."

Karla raised an eyebrow at her as she walked towards the door. "And why not? You honestly think that _you_ have a chance with him?"

"See, that's the thing, Karla," she replied, inching past her over the threshold. They stood face to face in the doorway, each trying to contain their annoyance. "I do more for him than just fix his computer."

Felicity smiled as Karla's jaw dropped in shock.

"Well, have a good night," Felicity said, leaving Karla to gape in the doorway. "I know I will."

As happy as it made her to burst Karla's bubble like that, panic started to consume her as soon as she got in her car. _How_ was she supposed to get ready? Did she need new underwear? That seemed like a good idea; most of hers were plain cotton or had superheroes on them. And yes, that included her bras. She wanted to actually look sexy this time. Maybe she'd buy a silk nightie—no wait, a teddy! Or maybe that was the most outrageous thing she'd ever thought in her life.

She rolled her eyes as she started the car.

Felicity had given in to her insecurities on the drive home and stopped at Victoria's Secret. She went up to an employee and asked to her for help finding lingerie she wouldn't feel ridiculous in. She settled on a pink nightie-thing called a "babydoll" with matching panties and hurried home.

There wasn't much to do there; she kept the place pretty clean. And her Tortoise didn't need much. So after all that, she still had an hour and a half to get dolled up. She took a shower, shaved, like, everywhere, then dried, straightened, _and _curled her hair. It was a pain in the ass, but her hair turned out great. Then she fussed with her makeup, trying to get it just right, all the while convincing herself to deal with contacts and instead of wearing her glasses.

Felicity was getting very, very nervous. She didn't know what she was supposed to do; and when did she put on the lingerie? Should she already have it on, or should she wait until after he arrived? It seemed stupid to put on clothes then change into something after he got here and _then_ get naked.

Though she'd probably get laughed at, she called Oliver.

"Um, Oliver? What exactly is the protocol for what we're doing?"

"Protocol?" He sounded like he was on speakerphone. Felicity glanced at the clock: 8:20. _Ten minutes! He must be in the car on his way here!_

"Am I supposed to have a dress on when you get here? That seems superfluous considering I won't wear for it very long. And when should I put on the lingerie? Was I even supposed to _buy_ lingerie? Because I did, but I don't want to answer the door in it. I have a robe, but it's pink and fluffy and not very sexy so I don't want to wear that over it—Hey, stop laughing!"

"I'm sorry," Oliver took a moment to get himself under control. "Uh, how about I use the fire escape again? That way you won't have to answer the door in your… Did you really buy lingerie?"

"I'm hanging up, now. I'll meet you at my bedroom window."

"See you in five," he answered, suppressing a laugh.

Oliver left his car in a parking garage before heading over to Felicity's apartment. He'd been dying to see her since Thursday, but thought he needed time to sort things out; and by "sort things out," he meant Diggle figured out where he went and demanded he leave their new techie alone. And he did, for a few days. But then he started to miss her, so after two hours of arguing, Diggle agreed that it was okay to see her.

He climbed the fire escape is his usual ninja-monkey way and stopped when he reached her window.

"Felicity?" he called, tapping the glass three times.

"Come in,"

Oliver pulled up on the window. By the time he opened it, Felicity had mysteriously disappeared.

"Where are you?" he said, looking around nervously.

"In the bathroom," she answered from behind the door. "I feel really stupid in this. I think this secret should stay between me and Victoria."

Oliver rolled his eyes, smiling. "Okay, well, if you feel stupid in it, come out and I'll take it off of you." he replied, peeling off his jacket and shirt.

The bathroom door slowly creaked open, and what came out did _not_ look like an IT girl.

Oliver gawked at her, unsure where to look first. Her hair was curled, her makeup was sexy, and everything below her neck made him so hard so fast that he was getting lightheaded: her full breasts in that lacy pink bra; her flat tummy and soft curves; the pink tulle skirt that came to her hips; that string bikini that barely covered anything in the front, and possibly nothing in the back; and damn, those _legs_…

"Oliver?"

Dazed, he looked her in the eye. "Huh?"

"So it looks pretty good, then?"

Since his brain didn't exactly have the lion's share of his blood at the moment, Oliver only nodded vigorously.

Felicity smiled victoriously. "Perfect." Then she quickly turned around—It _was_ a thong!—and locked herself in the bathroom again.

Oliver ran to the bathroom door, feeling very horny and confused. "Wait, come back!" he demanded, finally able to form coherent sentences. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"This is payback for last time, Ollie." she teased. "By the way, I think your mask is stupid."

"But, how did you know my weakness is lingerie?" Oliver said dramatically. "I think I've found my nemesis."

Felicity giggled quietly before playing along. "That's right, Hood! I—"

"I hate that name,"

"That's right, Killer Lime! I—"

"_Killer Lime?!_"

"Dude, you're not supposed to interrupt the bad guy's monologue!"

"And I want you so badly that I'm about to hold your turtle hostage."

Felicity gasped, trying not to laugh. "Leave my tortoise out of this!"

"Hey, Paperweight, let's go make some soup stock!"

"No, my baby!" Felicity threw open the door and Oliver swept her up and over his shoulder. She fought back playfully as he carried her to the bed.

The springs went _SCER-eek _when he dropped her on the pillow-y comforter. She stared at him curiously as he removed his shoes and socks.

"Aren't you worried I'll escape?"

He shrugged. "I'll just threaten your tortoise again."

"In that case, I'll help you." She sat up, positioning herself in front of him. He moved closer and let her unbutton his pants, which were severely tented. As she pulled his zipper down, he slipped a handful of condoms from his pocket.

"Only five?" she said, frowning.

"You don't think that'll be enough?"

"If not, there's some cling wrap in kitchen." she replied, keeping a straight face as she looked up at him.

He grinned at her, almost laughing. "I can't tell if you're serious or not."

"Screw me five times and find out."

No longer able to hold back, Oliver tossed the condoms on the bed and tackled Felicity, kissing her and unhooking her bra. She let it fall from her shoulders and flung it across the room as Oliver took off his pants and boxers.

"Wow, you are really naked." Felicity commented, sounding suddenly nervous.

"What's wrong?" he knelt down in front of her, concerned.

She timorously crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I know you've been with a lot of girls, and you must be very experienced. But there's really no need to impress me with any unusual techniques. No need to go all _Fifty Shades of Green_ on me, you know? You can just keep it vanilla."

Oliver only stared, barely suppressing laughter.

"'Cause it's not like I've got anything special to teach you." she added fretfully.

"I don't care if you've got nothing to teach me. Know why?" He moved his hands to her hips and brought his face close to hers. "Because you're remarkable."

She pressed her forehead against his, smiling dreamily. "Thank you for remarking on it." Oliver could hear foil crinkling as Felicity reached for a condom. "Now put this on."

He stood up and obeyed, ripping it open and quickly rolling it on as she watched. Without warning, she pushed him back and dropped to her knees in front of him, taking him in her mouth. He doubled over as she sucked, his hands in her hair. Her fingers dug into his hips as she became more aroused by his groaning. He reached release loudly, then fell to the floor, panting. Felicity dropped to all fours, painfully close to the edge. Oliver beckoned her to him, and when she lay next to him he drew close, pulling down her thong and plunging two fingers inside her. He palmed her forcefully as he pumped in and out, making her back arch. When she began to grind rhythmically against his hand, Oliver gazed hungrily as her breasts jiggled with each gyration. After licking his lips he gave in and sucked at her nipple while his fingers continued to rub inside her. She let out an amorous shriek, her hands moving to the back of his head. Eager to hear her climax, Oliver took her nipple in his teeth and gently tugged. She crashed around him, and as she caught her breath she purred at the feel of him slowly removing his fingers from inside her.

"I think I have rug burn," she mumbled.

He laughed quietly as he nuzzled her neck. "You're about to have a hickey, too."

They spent the next several hours in a cycle of tender foreplay and ferocious lovemaking until they fell asleep tangled in a sweat-soaked bed sheet.

Oliver woke up first; it had been the best rest he'd gotten since leaving the Island, but he still had trouble sleeping for very long.

Felicity lay on her stomach, her messy blonde curls obscuring her face. Oliver pulled the sheet over her goose-pimpling skin before kissing the top of her head and rolling out of bed. He needed to walk around and wrestle with his thoughts.

Diggle had been pissed when he figured what Oliver had done on Valentine's Day. According to him, getting involved with anyone was a bad idea; it was a distraction, a weakness. And Diggle assumed Oliver would break her heart.

It was difficult to argue with that. Who hadn't he hurt? Everyone he cared about had a reason to be angry with him, especially the women he'd been involved with. But that was part of the reason he liked being with Felicity; with her there was no complicated history. In fact, it seemed that she and Diggle were the only ones he hadn't monumentally pissed off and alienated. There was also a part of him that feared it would end like it did with Laurel, that he'd get scared and leave her. But he was different now, and that was both good and bad. He wasn't afraid to commit to her, but at the same time he couldn't. It didn't seem smart for a vigilante to have a girlfriend who can't even defend herself.

That was another thing; they weren't dating. They were messing around, and that didn't sit well with Oliver. Felicity deserved more than that, more than a secret relationship and casual sex. But the thought of letting people know he was dating her terrified him. Someday someone would discover his identity, and they'd target her. He couldn't let that happen. So it seemed a clandestine relationship was the best decision.

Then again, should he encourage her to find someone else? Yeah, right; as if he'd be okay with that.

He shook his head, banishing the worrisome thoughts. Felicity made him happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. He could relax around her, even act silly. He could _breathe._ Whatever it was he had with her, he didn't want to let it go. He would fight for it. And yes, maybe Diggle was right; she was a distraction, but a man like Oliver needed a distraction from his brutal mission every once in a while.

Oliver had wandered into the living room, and sunlight was beginning to glow through the blinds. He waved at Paperweight as he ambled around his terrarium.

"Sorry I took you hostage," he apologized.

Just then his stomach grumbled, and he decided he would get ready and go buy her breakfast.

He entered the bathroom and took a quick shower. When he got out, Felicity was still unconscious and sprawled out on the bed. He gazed at her as he got dressed.

Carefully, he leaned over her and pulled the tangled tendrils away from her face.

"Be right back," He kissed her cheek and left the apartment the way he came.

Felicity still hadn't woken up when Oliver returned with breakfast. He checked her pulse to make sure he hadn't screwed her to death, and when he found she was still alive he went into the kitchen to put the coffee and box of donuts on the island.

An alarm went off and when Oliver reentered the bedroom, Felicity was sleepily feeling around for the off button. She lifted her head and looked around. Oliver beamed at her when she saw him leaning on the door frame.

"Good morning," she greeted shyly, lazily kicking her feet as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"I bought donuts." he announced happily.

"I love donuts!" Her smile faded as she winced, sore as she slowly got out of bed. Oliver enjoyed watching her stretch out all the kinks. "Wow, you really did a number on me,"

Finally she was up, bashfully naked as Oliver watched her from the door.

"I need to get ready for work,"

"Want me to join you in the shower?"

She smiled, biting her lip. "Rain check?"

He nodded, then stared as she walked into the bathroom.

Twenty-five minutes later, Felicity came out of the bathroom, ready and looking the way Oliver usually saw her. He laid on the bed waiting, and when she appeared he gaped in shock.

"Wow, a hot girl goes in and a nerd comes out! It's like magic!" he teased.

She adjusted her glasses and held her hands behind her back. "The hot girl is just under this layer of nerd."

He smiled. "I believe it. Want some breakfast?"

She nodded happily and they went into the kitchen.

"You got _Krispy Kreme_?!" she exclaimed when she saw the box. "I am so in love with you!" Horrified, she closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Um, I meant for getting the donuts. I don't love you. I mean I do, but not like—"

Amused, Oliver kissed her sweetly on the cheek before taking a seat at the island. "There's coffee, too."

Still blushing, Felicity sat down next to him. The coffee was great, if not a little too black for her taste. He opened the box for her and she snatched up a chocolate glazed donut.

"Mmm," she hummed as she chewed the first bite. "How did you know I loved cream-filled?"

He glanced at her, trying not to smile. "Because you did last night."

Felicity nearly choked on her donut. "Okay, I set myself up for that one." she admitted with a smile.

"Yes, you did." Oliver gleefully reached for one with sprinkles.

She eyed him curiously as he bit into his donut. "You're a sprinkles guy?"

"Mm-hmm,"

Felicity took a sip of her coffee, absorbing the information. "The badass vigilante archer who hunts down dangerous criminals is a _sprinkles guy._ That is awesome."

They finished breakfast in comfortable silence, both still feeling worn out from last night. Then it was time for Felicity to leave.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"You're very welcome," he replied. Then she gathered her stuff and they left through the front door together.

Work seemed like a cheerful, happy place as Felicity entered the building. People noticed she had a glow about her, but no one suspected the cause. She click-clicked in her kitten heels all the way to the IT Department.

Minutes after getting situated and turning on her computer, she heard a knock on the door. It was Karla, along with two other Plastics.

"Hello, Karla!" Felicity greeted pleasantly.

"Hey," greeted Karla. "What did you do last night?" There was a hint of venom in her genial tone.

"Same thing I do every night, Karla; try to take over the world."

She rolled her eyes. "Cute."

"Oh, yes, I'm adorable."

"Do you mind repeating what you told me before leaving work last night?" she asked with a fake smile. "Something about you and Oliver Queen?"

Plastics One and Two glanced at one another, smirking.

"You mean about me sleeping with him?" Felicity paused to take in their astonished, amused reactions. "You didn't believe me, did you?"

Karla's expression fell. "You sounded serious."

"About _that_? Really, Karla, that's like me claiming to have a sexual relationship with the vigilante."

The Plastics giggled behind their pretty, vapid leader, who was becoming entertainingly aggravated.

"Well, silly me, then,"

"Silly you,"

The Vacuous Three left to go do whatever it is they do, and Felicity spent the rest of the day in her unburstable bubble of Oliver-induced happiness.


	3. Smile

** Okay, so has anyone noticed the degeneration of Olicity in the past two episodes? Oliver has been so cold towards Felicity! I know Olicity shouldn't happen too fast, but it sucks that they haven't had any "moments" and Oliver never laughs or smiles with her.**

** So I've decided to use this to my advantage and incorporate "Dodger" and "Dead to Rights" in my story to make it appear canon-ish. I've interpreted the two episodes in relation to **_**Cupid's Arrow**_** to make the Oliver/Felicity scenes appear consequential to what I've already written. **

** Because if you squint, it works scary well.**

** Also, there's no sex in this chapter. Sorry.**

* * *

Felicity knew better than to delude herself. _Of course _he was only experimenting. _Of course_ it wouldn't last. Why would it? She was just an awkward techie, definitely not Oliver's type. She shouldn't have even wondered if he was just trying something new. It was so _obvious_. It seems the old Oliver wasn't completely gone after all.

Things had been great on Valentine's Day, then a few days later when he spent the night. She wouldn't deny that it had been total bliss. But Felicity shouldn't have thought that meant there was something real between them; because there wasn't.

He got bored of her quickly. Very, very quickly. After he left her that morning, he didn't call until the next day, when he needed her help recovering data. He had been sweet to her as she typed away in the Arrow Cave, but he also only stayed for a few minutes. When she did her job and handed over the information, he was nice. But no kiss on the cheek, no invitation, not even a little playfulness. She thought he was just in a mood, maybe caught up in some recent family drama or something. But then, the day after that…

He said they should stay friends. Their involvement shouldn't get too complicated. He cared about her too much to see her get hurt. Yeah, whatever the hell that meant. But she was nice about it. She told him she understood. And she did. She knew she wasn't pretty enough, graceful enough, sexy enough… It was obvious from the start. But she was fine. She had him for a little while, right? So she completely shut it out. _Poof._ It never happened. They were only ever friends. No hard feelings whatsoever.

Felicity put on a brave face during their talk, but when she got home she barely made it to the kitchen counter before collapsing in tears. She put on "Smile" by Nat King Cole and played it at least ten times as she sobbed on her bed. It was the song her dad always sang to her when she was miserable, and it always cheered her up. _If you smile through your fear and sorrow… _

_Smile, and maybe tomorrow…You'll see the sun come shining through for you…_

It got easier as he got colder towards her. Their former intimacy has actually made it easier to stand up to him. She was able to get in Oliver's face about orphaning a ten-year-old boy, even when feeling him so close was painfully reminiscent. Feeling his heat, smelling his scent… she didn't let it get to her. And when he came to the IT Department to convince her he wasn't such a monster, it was kind of nice. It meant he cared what she thought, which she found surprising.

The "date" thing wasn't as easy, though. Diggle wasn't happy about how Oliver had treated Felicity, so he threw the "McKenna" thing out as bait, daring him to admit who he really cared about. Felicity went with it, having the same hope as Diggle. Oliver didn't deny having a thing for McKenna Hall, so Felicity pushed it and told him to flirt with her in order to but a chip in her phone. She and Diggle didn't actually want that to end in a date, but oh well. At least the date hadn't gone spectacularly.

Then she tried to throw him off, maybe make him feel like he'd missed out. So she got dressed up, showed off her legs. Curled her hair in that familiar way. She didn't even wear her glasses. And yet, he didn't even bat an eyelash. But neither did she, because that's what she had expected. She was socially awkward, but that didn't mean she couldn't play the game.

And the bomb collar… damn, that was scary. She didn't realize the Dodger would have one of those with him, or be able to just swoop it around her neck. She remembered the fear build in her as he pulled her hair gently out from under the bomb collar, like you would with a necklace. Such a gentleman.

She ran to Oliver. He was just… it was like he was numb. Robotic. Yes, he was determined to save her, and he did, but…

He didn't even come back to check on her. And he never mentioned the incident again, nor did he ever ask if she was okay. She knew it was a redundant question, but it would've been nice to hear. And where did he go instead? To make up with McKenna. Now their relationship was going strong. Yippee.

But still, she didn't let that get to her. She refused to be bitter. Felicity still got to be a part of the Arrow Team, and Oliver hadn't shunned her completely. Strangely, this kept her pretty happy. She figured that eventually the pain would disappear once she was fully able to accept that she was just Oliver's nerd, since that's how it should be.

Luckily, Diggle was being friendlier. She appreciated that he knew what was going on, but didn't bring it up. He joked around with her, which helped keep her mood light. And he offered to teach her how to defend herself. Felicity appreciated that, even though it wasn't fun to get thrown around. He knew that she must be feeling dejected since Oliver pushed her away, and he gave her a much-needed friend.

But there was a small moment where it seemed he couldn't help but speak up.

Oliver announced that he had to go meet McKenna, and Diggle said it probably wasn't a good idea to date a cop who was hunting him. Felicity flinched slightly, knowing that Diggle was nudging Oliver, trying to make him admit that McKenna wasn't a healthy choice. Oliver's reply felt like an arrow to the chest:

"Well, it's slim pickings for us vigilantes."

That son of a bitch. Did he have to say that so Felicity could hear him? And did he know how much it hurt that he barely ever looked at her, even when he was talking to her?

Felicity wondered if Oliver noticed or even cared that he never joked with her anymore, or that he was so cold and commanding. And it seemed that now he only paid attention her when he wanted her to work her geeky tech magic.

And this was a small sting, but he seemed to be getting more annoyed and impatient with her babbling.

If his cause weren't so noble—albeit obscenely violent—she would've quit. But she needed their help finding Walter, and they really needed a geek, anyway.

"I think you need some more practice."

Felicity turned around in her office chair, wondering why Diggle wanted to kick her butt—or, as he called it, teach her self-defense.

"Am I doing that sad zoning-out thing again?" He said that every once in a while her eyes would glaze over and she'd look depressed, and she didn't want Oliver to see her that way. Luckily, he wasn't in the Arrow Cave at the moment.

Diggle shrugged. "I think you need to do something more distracting."

"I'm getting better, Dig."

"I know," he walked away from the mat. "You've been great at hiding it. I'm still worried, though."

"About me?" She turned back around and faced her computer. "You've got bigger things to worry about than my feelings. I'm really not worth fussing over."

"You were pretty pissed when Oliver invited McKenna to the factory while we were still in the basement. It made you very determined to hack that phone."

"I'd been at it for a while," she replied, staring at her screen. "I just really wanted to get it done."

"Because you knew that as soon as you did, Oliver would have to leave and end his date."

Felicity adjusted her glasses. "Not necessarily."

Diggle stood next to her. "You don't have to keep everything bottled up like Oliver does."

She sighed. "Why does he have to date her?" Her gaze met his. "I mean besides the fact that she's obviously beautiful. Even if she wasn't hunting the Hood, she's still a cop! How does that make any sense? He could never trust her with his secret. Did you think he'd really go through with it when you dared him to ask her out?"

"Did you?" He leaned on the desk. "I know I didn't expect him to go after her so fervently. And I think having her in the factory was risky. I'm not sure what he thinks he's doing."

"'Well, it's slim pickings for us vigilantes.'" She quoted in a deep, mocking voice. "He acts like she's the only eligible girl, like I'm not even…" Feeling tears, she shut her eyes.

Diggle put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I can hear him upstairs," he warned quietly. "Don't let him see you cry."

"_Hide every trace of sadness… Although a tear may be ever so near…"_ she sang just loud enough Diggle to hear.

He chuckled and patted her shoulder just as Oliver descended the stairs.

Oliver had been told many times that he was a bad liar. It was true; unless he was really motivated, like when it came to keeping his secret. He even fooled a lie-detector test to protect it. But that wasn't the only thing he found he could lie about. There was also Felicity.

His time with her had been… perfect. Too perfect. He thought he could just have fun with her and forget his responsibilities for a while, but he hadn't expected to like her so much. Just those two nights with her, and he was officially _whipped_. He wanted her so badly it scared the hell out of him, because then came the fear that if he let her get close to him, she would get hurt. He couldn't help feeling that being with her would put her in danger, make her a target, no matter how hard he tried to protect her. He knew it was irrational, but look what happened to Laurel. He had feelings for her, and he'd already had to save her a few times. And to think what might happen to Felicity… well, it already happened, didn't it?

The situation with the Dodger had confirmed his fears and justified his detachment. Seeing that bomb around her neck… if he hadn't shut down emotionally, he would've lost it. He had been so scared, horrified at the thought of losing her. But he buried those feelings and did what he had to in order to save her.

Then he went to make up with McKenna instead of checking on Felicity, because otherwise he would've crumbled and admitted to Felicity that he loved her. But he couldn't do that; McKenna had become a necessary distraction at that point. If he dove into a relationship with her, then he could keep distance between him and Felicity. That's why he agreed to ask McKenna out in the first place, even though he knew Diggle and Felicity had only been messing with him by encouraging it.

If he could push Felicity out of his life completely, he would. But she was too damn valuable to the team. So he continued to get colder and more commanding, willing her to only see him as a boss. He hated it. He missed her. But he thought it was the only way to keep her safe.

The Arrow Cave was quiet as Oliver descended the stairs, except for the sound of Diggle chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Oliver asked as he reached the last stair.

"Felicity is a surprisingly good singer." Diggle answered.

That reminded Oliver of the time he heard her sing the _Big Bang Theory_ theme song, and he pushed the thought away. "Next guy on the list is Roger Wentworth. He won't be a problem, so you two can go home if you want."

"Are you going to kill him?" Felicity piped up, peeking over her computer. "Not that I have any say in how you handle people on the list, I was just wondering because he has grandkids. I mean, he's a really bad guy, but—"

"As I said, you can go home." Oliver interjected, sounding aggravated as he walked towards his big green box.

Diggle glanced at Felicity, who was biting her lip. He could tell she was holding back tears again.

Suddenly, she stood up and grabbed her coat and bag.

"Bye, Dig," she said before ascending the stairs. "And happy hunting, Oliver!" she called before closing the door behind her.

Felicity needed a moment before starting the car; otherwise her vision would be blurred by tears as she drove home. Why did he have to be such a dick to her? What did she do wrong?

She rested her head on the steering wheel, reminding herself that given time, things would get better. All she had to do was put on a happy face and wait for Oliver to come around.

_Smile, what's the use of crying? You'll find that life is still worthwhile… If you just smile._

* * *

**I hope this makes you view "Dodger" and "Dead to Rights" in a new, interesting light. And hopefully I didn't overlook anything glaringly contradictory.**

**Fear not, for this is not the last chapter! There will be more… eventually. And things will get crazy.**

**Also, Felicity had a song in this chapter, and I think Oliver does, too. His is "Arms" by Christina Perri. Yes, very girly, but unless I'm misreading the lyrics, I think it fits really well with his feelings. **


	4. Let Her Dance

**I know I shouldn't reference DC characters (Batman, Superman, etc.) because they're real people in **_**Arrow**_** universe (whether they make an appearance or not), but I can't help myself, so please deal with it **

** On that note, I'd like to add that Henry Cavill "guest stars" in this chapter. Don't worry; it should make sense eventually.**

* * *

Diggle watched as Felicity slept soundly, her head on her desk. It was the third time she had passed out in the Arrow Cave, and Diggle was worried she was working too hard; Queen Consolidated plus a dangerous, odd-houred gig with the Hood seemed like a lot. And of course it was probably difficult for her to deal with her feelings for Oliver, too.

"Felicity," he said quietly, nudging her shoulder. "Wake up."

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering as she drifted into consciousness. Groggy, she lifted her head off her desk and wiped the drool from her mouth.

"What's going on?" she mumbled.

"I think Oliver will be back soon. Not sure how he'd feel if he saw you sleeping on the job."

"Oh," Her look was contrite. "Sorry, Dig, I—"

"Don't worry about it." he said kindly. "I just don't want you to get in trouble with Oliver."

She rubbed her eyes. "So what time is it?"

"Seven."

"Okay, good. I thought I'd slept long—Oh, no!" She looked at him, panicked. "I need to go home and get ready!"

"For what?" he asked.

Felicity bit her lip and glanced at the floor. "I have a date."

"Really?" Diggle smiled. "Good for you!"  
She wrung her hands nervously. "It's a blind date. My mom set it up."

"I'm sure you'll have fun."

"But what if I don't? What if he doesn't like me? What if he's a jerk?" she said pleadingly.

"Then I'll kick his ass for you."

She gave him a grateful smile, then it faded. "You won't tell Oliver, will you? Not that he'd care, but, you know…"

"I won't say a word."

Felicity nodded. "Okay. Well, bye, Diggle." she said as she gathered her things.

Just then Oliver came down the stairs. "We're done for the night," he announced, reaching the last step. "I have plans. You two can go home."

Felicity smiled, glancing at Diggle then looked at Oliver. "Great! Good. You have fun with your plans." she responded cheerily.

"Hm," Oliver replied, barely paying attention to her as he removed his gear.

Diggle waved goodbye to her as she hurried up the stairs.

It had been forever since Felicity had been on a date. Well, actually… Huh. She'd never been on a date. Not a real one, anyway. Oh, crap—she had no idea what to do! She was going in completely blind! She didn't even know this guy at all! She didn't know how to act on a date either! She was doomed! Dooooooomed—!

Felicity slapped herself, snapping herself out of a near-panic attack. She could do this. It was just dinner at a restaurant with a guy. No big deal. And he was mother approved, which meant it was less likely that he was a total psycho. So, yay! Everything was going to be fine.

The place they were meeting was pretty expensive, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She was a little unhappy that she had to surrender her car to a valet, because she was hoping she could take a minute to sit and rest her head against the steering wheel. Another damn headache. She'd been getting them for the past few weeks, no doubt due to the stress with Oliver.

The place was dimly lit, and it helped to ease the pressure. She stood awkwardly in front of the maître d' while he ran his finger down the list of names, looking for her date's name. While she waited she wondered about her outfit. She looked good; not auction/Dodger-trap good, but good.

"Ah, yes," said the maître d'. "Sorry, at first I thought you said 'Ned.' He's right here, though. Would you like me to find him for you?"

"Felicity Smoak?"

She turned around and saw a tall, dark-haired man walking towards her. He smiled at her nervously.

"Hi, I got a table with a view of the door so I'd see you—Your mom showed me a picture of you. That's how I knew it was you. I didn't google you. That'd be weird, wouldn't it? Although if you googled me I wouldn't be weirded out, I just didn't want you thinking I was cyber-stalking you or something. Not that I'd think you were cyber-stalking me if you googled me…" Blushing, he cleared his throat. Then he held out his hand for her to shake. "Hi, I'm Ed Raymond and I promise I'm not a psycho."

Smiling, she shook his hand. She was pleasantly surprised at how good-looking he was. Actually, he was gorgeous, but seemed very unaware of the fact. And he was awkward and slightly dorky. With all that plus glasses, he had a very Clark-Kent kinda vibe, and she dug it. At last, a guy who was totally her speed.

"I'm glad you're not a psycho." She really, really meant it.

He smiled at her bashfully and it was the cutest thing ever.

They walked over to their table and he even pulled out her chair for her.

Ed insisted on hearing all about her as they ate their dinner, and she told him about her job at Queen Consolidated, her love of _Doctor Who_ (He felt the same!) a little bit about her parents, and about her pet tortoise. Then he spoke about himself; he was thirty years old (just three and a half years older than her) and was a reporter for the _Starling Herald_.He was originally from New York and moved to Starling City after his wife died five years ago. He had an eight-year-old son named Ronnie, who was absolutely adorable in the picture Ed showed her.

In short, everything was going wonderfully.

"Hey, Ed!"

Felicity looked over her shoulder and saw Detective McKenna Hall waving at Ed. But more troubling than that was the sight of who was with her. Oliver glanced at Felicity as McKenna made her way to the table.

Ed greeted McKenna warmly as Felicity panicked inwardly. Why were they here?! Why was _he_ here?!

"This is my date, Felicity Smoak."

The women shook hands and smiled. The detective introduced herself kindly.

"And this is my boyfriend, Oliver."

The billionaire/vigilante said hello, and also had the stones to admit he already knew Felicity.

"She's the one who fixes my computer. Felicity is the most competent member of the Queen Consolidated IT department." A compliment, too? That jerk.

Felicity smiled at the two of them, hoping they would leave soon.

"You were the cop on the Dodger case, right? I remember seeing you on TV." Felicity said to the detective.

McKenna nodded. "It's because I closed that case that I met Ed. I'm on the vigilante case and he's the journalist who writes about him."

Oliver and Felicity shared a brief, almost imperceptible furtive glance.

"Well, it was good seeing you again, Ed. And it was nice to meet you, Felicity." McKenna said. The two couples said their goodbyes and when Oliver and McKenna disappeared around a corner, Felicity could finally breathe again.

"Wow, you didn't mention you were friends with Oliver Queen."

"He's more like my boss." she answered, shrugging.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. "Sorry," she peeked down; it was a text from Oliver.

Really? The reporter investigating the vigilante?

Filthy hypocrite. She ignored it and got on with her date. Ed was funny, adorkably charming, thoughtful, sweet… and her understood her. Even when she started rambling or said something awkward, he went with it. He just smiled and… Wow, he was just so wonderful. Her mom was getting a _huge_ Mother's Day gift this year.

For dessert they shared an amazing chocolate something-or-other. Unfortunately she had to stop after a few bites, because she began feeling nauseous. Dammit. She must've eaten a heavier dinner than she realized.

By ten o'clock they were still talking, and Ed looked like he was working up the courage to say something.

"Would you like to go dancing?" he finally blurted out.

She laughed nervously. "I'm not very good at it."

"That's okay; neither am I. It's fun, though." He looked at her hopefully.

Holy crap. He wanted to take her dancing. How cute was that?

Felicity was going to meet him there. As she waited for her car, she texted Oliver back.

I'm sorry, who's dating the cop on the vigilante case?

That oughta show him. That big dumb dummy-head.

It wasn't a club, thankfully. It was just a nice little place with a dance floor and good music.

"Save the Last Dance for Me" was playing when they entered the main room. They danced to it clumsily, trying to sort of tango then ending up with a simple version of the waltz. Then came "The Way You Look Tonight," "La Vie En Rose," "In the Mood," … They danced for an hour straight in their own adorably inept way.

Just when she thought she was done, an upbeat song came on that she couldn't refuse.

The first few chords of "Let Her Dance" by Bobby Fuller Four started playing and she gasped in excitement.

"I love this song!" exclaimed Ed.

"Me, too!" replied Felicity.

_ Well there she goes with a brand new love affair_

_Dancin' with him like she don't even care_

_Well, let her dance with him_

_Let her dance all night long_

_(Let her dance, let her dance, let her dance dance dance)_

They did the twist through the entire song, and when it was over they finally admitted defeat.

He walked her out to her car, and she kissed him on the cheek and told him she had a great time.

Felicity sat in the driver's seat, watching him drive off as she thought about how lucky she was. Then she checked her phone. It was Oliver again.

McKenna says he has a son.

Yes, and he's adorable.

I don't see this ending well.

I can say the same to you, cop dater.

She refused to let him ruin her mood. So what if Ed was a reporter? She wasn't going to tell him anything. Oliver had nothing to worry about with Ed. McKenna, on the other hand… Man, Oliver was such an idiot.

Felicity drove home, her head full of happy thoughts.

* * *

**I hope none of you think Henry Cavill looks too manly to play Ed Raymond, because I really wanted her to have a major hottie.**

**Also, I strongly suggest you look up Felicity Smoak's canonical place in the DC universe if you have not done so already. For those of you who have... are you scared yet? WELL, ARE YOU?!**

**There may be one or two more chapters before "The Huntress Returns," and then definitely one after it. And then certainly a few more until the season is over. **


	5. Dammit

Dammit. Just when Oliver was really starting to like McKenna, Felicity had to go on a date.

It should've made him happy to see her moving on. It should've made him feel more comfortable about dating McKenna. Sadly, all it did was make him irrationally jealous and distracted the rest of the night. If he hadn't been on a date himself, he would've texted Felicity relentlessly, hoping to convince her Ed What's-His-Face was a bad idea. Those hours without a response had been torture. He was proud of himself for his skill at hiding his irritation from McKenna, especially his ability to smile like nothing was wrong. But while she yammered on about work and whatnot, Oliver ached to march over to Felicity and steal her from that stupid reporter.

He wanted Felicity to be happy, he really did, but there was still a stubborn part of him that demanded she be happy with _him_. Not that it could ever happen; no way in hell would he put her in more danger. He loved her too damn much. In time he hoped he could handle the thought of her being happy with someone else.

That night he had yet another dream about her, about how happy they could be together. But, like always, the dream ended with her drenched in blood. He woke up in tears, and he willed the nightmare to fuel his resolve to keep her at a distance. The radio alarm clock didn't help, either; when it went off it woke him with "When I was Your Man."

_Shut up, Bruno Mars_, he grumbled inwardly as he smacked the off button.

Felicity was a ball of bubbly energy as she sat in the Arrow Cave, dividing her attention between the many monitors. Her life had been nothing but lovely since her date with Ed on Friday night; they had two other dates after that! First they went to the planetarium on Sunday night (_so_ romantic!) and then they saw _Jack the Giant Slayer_ last night, which she had been dying to see.

But you know what sucked? Every time she saw Oliver, she still felt an ache in her chest. She looked at him and thought: _If only. _As happy as Ed made her, a part of her still wanted Oliver very, very much. It wasn't because of the amazing sex, or the fact that he was Oliver freaking Queen; it was because of what she saw when he had opened up to her. No, he didn't tell her about the island, nor did she ask. It was the way he had touched her, smiled at her, joked around with her. He had shed his tough exterior, he had made himself vulnerable. What he had shown her wasn't the spoiled playboy or the damaged vigilante; he was just… Oliver. And damn, was he beautiful.

And she was really missing him.

But Felicity maintained her poker face. She dwelled on Ed Raymond as she did her work and barely noticed Oliver as he beat the crap out of that pole thing. Eventually he had enough, and he was gearing up to go vigilante-ing.

"The next name on the list is Douglas Knox," Oliver said as he pulled on his shirt. "He and I will have a long talk about his involvement in human trafficking. I doubt I'll be gone too long."

"Oliver's putting the fear of God into someone? Must be Wednesday." Felicity quipped. "Not that I have a problem with it this time. I mean, human trafficking? The guy deserves an arrow in his eye socket."

Diggle and Oliver stared at her with concern, and Felicity reconsidered her words.

"Hmm… I think hanging out with you guys is making me violent."

The guys exchanged an amused glance and Oliver took off.

Ah. That was the closest Felicity had gotten to a smile from him since he rejected her. It actually made her feel a little bit better about their relationship, like maybe things really would go back to how they were before Valentine's Day. She really missed his laugh.

Felicity giggled, remembering something.

"What's so funny?" asked Diggle.

Biting her lip to hide her smile, she shook her head.

"Aw, c'mon," he coaxed. "What are you laughing about?"

She looked at him for a moment, then gave in. "Did you know that Oliver is ticklish?"

Diggle chortled. "The Hood is ticklish?"

"Well, not _super_ ticklish..."

"Still, let's hope nobody attacks him with a feather."

"God help us if Feather Man starts wreaking havoc in Starling City."

"And we'd all be doomed if his buddy the Tickler joins in."

The two burst into laughter at the visual of the Hood taking on a feather-themed menace and his partner in crime. Oh, the shame of being tickled into submission by two grown men in spandex…

Suddenly, Felicity didn't feel so good. All that hearty laughter had stirred up her stomach, and nausea was hitting hard.

"No, not fair," she groaned, gripping the desk. Stupid, sensitive stomach. It had been pulling crap like this for a while now. She blamed it on her diet, which she blamed on stress, which she blamed mostly on Oliver.

"What's wrong?" Diggle looked concerned.

"It's my stomach." She put her hand on her forehead and took a deep breath. "I probably shouldn't have eaten those three cans of pie filling."  
"You did _what?_"

"I was craving fruit!"  
"So you ate three cans of pie filling?!"

"Stop judging me and get me to the bathroom!"

Felicity almost didn't make it. She pushed away from Diggle, slammed the door, and lifted the toilet seat just in time. Diggle stood outside the bathroom, cringing at the sound of her emptying her stomach.

"Should I go get you some Pepto Bismol?" suggested Diggle.

"Please," she moaned. "And hurry before I throw up my lower intestines."

Mr. Knox had been a pathetically easy man to intimidate. He had started blabbing faster than Oliver could say "You have failed this city." Knox hadn't known as much as Oliver had hoped, but he did discover a solid way to incriminate Knox and send him to jail.

Oliver came back to the cave, not surprised to find that Diggle and Felicity had already left—that is until he saw they had left their things behind.

He panicked for a brief moment before reminding himself that there was no need to jump to conclusions. They probably went out to get dinner. Or maybe they were upstairs for some reason. Yes, he should check upstairs before assuming Felicity was in mortal peril.

There didn't seem to be anyone else in the foundry as he opened the door leading upstairs, wondering if he'd need his bow. Then he heard a painful moan, and it sounded like Felicity.

Horrific images flashed through his head as he ran towards the sound. Who the hell was stupid enough to come in here and hurt Felicity, and what had they done to Diggle? Murderous thoughts raced through his head as he reached the source of the moaning.

"Felicity!" he yelled, trying to turn the door handle. It was locked.

"Go away!"

Well that was an odd thing to say to the guy trying to save you. He was there now; she didn't have to hide in the bathroom all injured and traumatized. "Felicity, it's Oliver."

"I know," she grumbled. "Go away."

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm puking my brains out."

Oh, thank God. She hadn't been attacked after all.

"Well, that's not good," he replied. "You need your brains."

Just then, Diggle entered the foundry with a plastic grocery bag.

"Dig, how long has she been like this?" Oliver asked quietly as Diggle neared the bathroom door.

"Since—"Diggle paused as Felicity vomited violently again. The men looked at the door with raised eyebrows. "…Since you left. She said it was the three cans of pie filling she ate."

"Pie filling?!"

"I hoovered them and I regret nothing!" Felicity yelled defensively before groaning in agony again.

"I left to get her Pepto Bismol, but I ended up getting her a whole vomit kit." Diggle opened the grocery bag full of Gatorade, saltines, cans of chicken noodle soup, and several different kinds of antacids.

"Didn't you go a little over board?"

Felicity upchucked aggressively again, this time flushing the toilet after doing so.

Oliver sighed. "Never mind. Here. Let me—"

Diggle kept the bag out of reach. "Do you really think she wants you to see her like this?" he whispered.

Oliver clenched his jaw. "Fine. Get her stomach settled then get her home. Take her car and I'll come by and pick you up."

Felicity lay in the back seat of her car, exhausted from throwing up for nearly forty-five minutes. She had been down to mostly bile by the time it stopped. Diggle's supplies had worked well enough to get her out to the car without the threat of more vomiting, and she was finally going home.

"You're a saint, Diggle, you know that?" she mumbled.

Diggle smiled, keeping his eyes on the road. "I hope you learned your lesson."

"Yep. Two cans of pie filling is the limit. Got it."

He laughed. "Is that really what it was, though? You were fine before then."

"My stomach has been a bitch lately. I've been getting nauseous for like, no reason. I think it's because I've been stressed and craving junk food."

"Is being on the team too much for you?"  
"I just need time to adjust, I think." She was silent for a few seconds, then she smiled. "Did you hear him?"

Diggle glanced back at her. "What do you mean?"

"He made a joke. Like he used to. I think maybe he'll stop being so cold to me soon."

"I don't know why he started in the first place," he said, wringing the steering wheel.

"Eh, I don't know. I think he realized he was having a fling with a total nerd and decided to back out."

"He had to convince me to be okay with him seeing you, and then he just quits on you a couple days later… I don't know what his problem is."

"Why'd you have to convince him?"

He shook his head. "I thought he was gonna end up hurting you. Turns out I was right."

"Do you think… Do you think he's just trying to protect me?" she asked, remembering how scared Oliver sounded when he tried to open the door.

"If he is, then I hate the way he's doing it."

Diggle helped her into her apartment and placed the bag in the kitchen. She stumbled into her living room and leaned against the back of the couch.

"Thanks, Dig,"

"No problem. I hope your stomach stops acting up."

Felicity laughed humorlessly. "It seems _everything _about me has been acting up since Oliver visited on Valentine's Day. I've been getting headaches, nap attacks, nausea, irregular periods… Oh, wow, sorry," She blushed. "TMI."

"Damn that boy," Diggle said, trying to ease the awkwardness. "He's throwing you all outta whack."

"I've been kind of a wreck. I mean I still have to work with him because you guys need me and he's been so… you know. And then there're the odd hours and the danger of hunting down criminals."

"It's a lot to handle. You can quit if you need to."

"Yeah, right. What would you guys do without me?"

Diggle thought for a moment. "Lose a suspect, rot in jail, get killed…"

"Exactly." She nodded. "So I'm not going anywhere."

Diggle waited outside Felicity's apartment for Oliver, happy that she was handling Oliver's idiocy. The stress wasn't great for her, but she would adjust with time. And maybe she was right; maybe Oliver was going to stop being such a jerk to her soon. But in the meantime… Diggle had noticed some of the things she listed, and it had him worried that it could get worse, like PTSD-type symptoms. Hopefully this line of work wouldn't prove too much for her.

He couldn't shake this nagging feeling, though; it was like déjà vu. Something felt familiar, something about what she said… The symptoms. Yes, now he remembered. It was right after his brother left for his tour and he looked after Carly. She was tired, her head ached a lot, she was nauseous… and then a few months later…

No. _Hell_ no. That was _not_ what was happening with Felicity. Diggle didn't even want to entertain the idea that Oliver had done far more than stress her out. Nope, nope, nope.

The car pulled up, and Diggle got in.

"How is she?" asked Oliver.

Diggle looked at him, wondering if Oliver really had made a colossal, dumbass move on Valentine's Day that resulted in Felicity being so "stressed out."

"I'm sure she'll be fine." he answered.


	6. Weakness

**I'm going to use dates from now on, at least often enough to not get lost. With what's going on with Felicity, keeping track on the calendar will be important. **

** And another thing: when people refer to what Helena did to Felicity, they say she tied her up. It's true, but I think she did way more than that. Felicity had mascara smudges under her eyes, and she sounded all whimpery and traumatized when Oliver found her. **

** Oh, and the scarf around Felicity's neck when Oliver rescued her… where did that even come from?**

** One last thing: I'll need to paraphrase some of the last Felicity scene.**

* * *

Monday, March 18th

Diggle watched as Felicity tried to do her work. She had a dreamy look on her face and it had him wondering how things with Ed were going. He hoped he was treating her right; Felicity had enough guy problems because of Oliver.

Also, Diggle thought she might be pregnant, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked, and she snapped out of her distracted state.

"Oh, um… My date with Ed went well yesterday." She gave him a small smile.

"Where'd he take you?"

"The zoo." Her smile grew. "I love the zoo."

Dig nodded, amused. "And what happened?"

"He kissed me in front of the penguin exhibit!" she blurted, clearly excited. "It was the cutest thing ever! The penguins were being adorable and waddling around in their tuxedos and then he just leaned over and kissed me! And he was _great_ at it!"

"Good for you," he replied, trying not to laugh. It was reassuring to see her this way, all giddy over a deserving guy. He knew that Oliver had really hurt her, and he was glad there was a guy who made her feel worthy.

Also, he did the math and Felicity would be nearly five weeks pregnant—if she really was pregnant. So… Well, she could be. At least as far as Diggle knew. He wasn't really seeing an upside to that. Felicity pregnant with Oliver's baby? If people knew she was pregnant with an heir to the Queen fortune, they might try to ransom the baby; that is if Felicity even survives long enough to have it. She was pregnant when the Dodger put that bomb collar on her, and it probably wouldn't be the last time she got put in danger. And if anyone ever knew it was the Hood's baby… Wow. Think of all the enemies Oliver's made. If any of them found out he had a kid…

Felicity better not be pregnant.

Diggle was shaken from his reverie by the sound of the opening door.

"Have you guys seen the work they're doing up there?" Oliver descended the stairs, for once dressed as a billionaire playboy. "They've really made progress."

"Not really," answered Felicity. "I usually take the back door. And the last time I was up there I wasn't paying attention."

"You two going to come to the opening on Friday?" Oliver asked.

"Only as your bodyguard." said Diggle.

"I'm more of a stay-at-home-and-watch-_Doctor Who_ kind of girl," Felicity quipped. "And what's the name of the club? I don't think you've told me."

"Verdant."

She blinked. "Seriously?"

Oliver crossed his arms and looked at her. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, I don't know… I guess it has something to do with it meaning 'green.'"

He shrugged. "So?"

She raised an eyebrow at Oliver then looked at Diggle. "What color is the vigilante's getup?"

Diggle smirked. "Green,"

"And his bow?"

"Also green,"

"And his arrows?"

"Felicity," Oliver interjected.

"Nope, they're green. So don't you think naming the club above the Hood's lair 'Verdant' is a little on the nose?"

Oliver rolled his eyes and headed towards the stairs. "I'm going to go see what they're doing."

Diggle and Felicity shared a smile before she added, "Hey, maybe the sign with the club's name on it should be in the shape of an arrow."

Saturday, March 23rd

She just _had_ to walk in while Helena was there. It was his fault, really; he should've texted her, telling her not to come to the foundry. But with everything else going on… Ugh, shouldn't she have been with her boyfriend, anyway?

There was no excuse, and Oliver knew it. Helena had threatened his family and nearly broken Tommy's arm, but Helena finding out about Felicity scared him the most. As much as he loved his family and friends, he knew Felicity was his greatest weakness; and Oliver had taught Helena to exploit weakness to get what she wants. He should've restrained himself, should've remained calm, but the fear had welled too quickly inside him and all he could think about was getting Felicity as far from Helena as possible. "_Get out. Get out!" _He wanted so much to protect her. Unfortunately, Helena noticed. "_How many girlfriends do you have, exactly?" _Oliver found the remark more upsetting than he should have. He hoped Helena didn't see that Felicity was more than his I.T. girl. She would be a lot easier to target than a cop. He knew Helena was a little… off, but would she attack someone he loved out of spite? Either way, it didn't bode well. Especially since Helena knew Felicity could hack the FBI database. What if she decided to use her? What if Helena… It was a frustrating, conflicting dilemma. He loved Felicity, he knew that, but he still loved Helena, too. He hoped that he if was just patient with her, he could show her the right way to do things. Maybe she would someday get over what her father had done to her, and they could work together again.

But Helena may also refuse to let go of the past. She may push him too far, or ignore his advice. He hoped she would do the right thing, for both their sakes.

Felicity couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what the deal was. Oliver may have had an unfriendly streak for a while after he broke it off with her, but he'd never really yelled at her. Not like he had this morning. But it didn't sound like he was angry with her; It was… was he being protective? Why would he think protecting her meant getting her out of the Arrow Cave? What was so threatening about that T-Mobile girl, anyway? If she was so dangerous, why would Oliver allow her in the lair?

Felicity had to find out.

"Hey, Dig?" she said, pressing her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she opened a package of Oreos. She was freaking _in love_ with Oreos today. "Can I ask why Oliver kicked me out so forcefully? He said it was a private thing, but what does that even mean? And why wouldn't he want my help—"

"Slow down, Felicity," Diggle said gently. "It's a long story."

There was silence as Felicity waited for him to elaborate. Annoyed by his secrecy, she crammed an Oreo in her mouth.

"Well?" she said through a mouth full of double-stuffed.

"She's Oliver's psycho ex-girlfriend. Her name's Helena Bertinelli." he said resignedly. "Her father is a mobster, and he killed her fiancé. So now she's hell-bent on killing him. When she and Oliver first met, she was just a gun-toting vigilante with no experience. Then… their mutual hatred and desire for justice brought them together." Felicity suspected that Diggle was scowling when he said that last sentence. "Oliver trained her and helped her become the crossbow-wielding Huntress. But he couldn't control her; she wanted to kill her father instead of sending him to jail. When Oliver stopped her, she ran away to Europe or somewhere. But now that her father has been given a plea bargain and is scheduled to enter witness protection, she came back to finish the job. And she'll do anything to get Oliver to help her. That's it in a nutshell."

Felicity had snarfed six Oreos in the time it took Diggle to recount the tale of the patricidal vigilante. She swallowed the latest mouthful as she processed what she had just heard.

"He sure can pick 'em." Felicity finally commented.

"Tell me about it." Diggle said with a chuckle. "And are you eating something? I hear crunching."

"I'm on my seventh Oreo."

"…It's not even noon."

"I _need_ them."

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?"

"I'm in love with the vigilante, and I'm also falling in love with the reporter who writes about the vigilante. There's plenty wrong with me."

A thick, awkward silence fell between them, and Felicity squeezed her eyes shut in mortification.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud."

"No kidding."

"Tell Oliver, and I'll end you."

"I don't tell him anything about you. I just stare at him reproachfully."

"Good. Thanks, Diggy."  
"Don't call me that."

"How about Diggly-Wiggly?"  
Diggle suppressed a laugh before speaking again. "Goodbye, Felicity."

"Bye, Diggle Bear."

After dinner, Felicity went to Queen Consolidated to do some work. She thought she might as well get a head start on the week, and keep an eye on the news as well. It was a much healthier alternative to eating the rest of those Oreos; what she had already consumed was making her feel fat.

Oh, look. Someone stole a high-powered crossbow. Wonder who that could be? Felicity called Oliver, and when she got his voicemail, she left him a message explaining the possible danger.

"I'll let you know if I learn anything more. In the meantime, just watch your back…" she trailed off as she turned to see the Huntress standing by the entrance to the I.T. department.

"Hi. I don't think we had the chance to be properly introduced this morning."

Felicity slowly hung up the phone, watching Helena like she was a rearing cobra. She had a crossbow, and Felicity wondered how eager she was to use it.

"Um, hey," Felicity said weakly.

"Felicity, right?" the Huntress said, taking a few steps forward. "I'm Helena. Oliver and I used to date." She pointed the crossbow at her. "But I guess Diggle already told you that."

The defenseless I.T. girl stared at the weapon as she carefully sat down, knowing what the Huntress must be here for. "I suppose you want me to hack the FBI database?"  
Helena smiled. "If you don't mind." She drew closer and walked around the desk. "We could've saved so much time if Oliver had asked you to help." Helena prodded Felicity with the side of the crossbow, making her flinch. "I wonder why he refused to include you."

Felicity stared at the screen and typed, trying not to let this psycho get under her skin. But she could already feel tears pricking her eyes. Helena really seemed to be enjoying her discomfort, and there was an acidic undertone when she spoke. But why would Helena have anything against her?

"I almost asked you if you've ever slept with him, but that'd be a stupid question."

Felicity gulped, wondering what Helena would do if she heard the truth.

"You're not exactly in his league, am I right? So when he demanded you stay out of this, he just didn't want to risk his nerdy sidekick. I mean someone who can hack the FBI database is pretty valuable."

"I guess," Felicity squeaked.

Helena leaned closer, and Felicity shivered when she felt her breath on the side of her face.

"The look on his face when you walked in… It's like his heart stopped. He clearly didn't want you anywhere near me. That says something, doesn't it? Because he taught me that to get what I want, I have to exploit weakness." She nudged Felicity's head with the crossbow again. "And you seem awfully weak to me. And what would the Hood do without his trusty little techie?"

Felicity kept working, trying to focus and remain calm. Helena smirked when she noticed her victim's hands were shaking, and she continued with her monologue.

"If I didn't still think that Oliver might change his mind and come back to me, I'd probably kill you. Think of how that'd cripple his operation. Or I guess I could just maim you so you can't work a computer; then you'd be able to see how useless you are without your little talent. What do you think Oliver would do with you? What else are you good for? You know, I'd probably be doing you a favor. I'll tell you what I told his cop girlfriend: Oliver uses people. He's using you. You might think that he has a soft spot for you, and that maybe he might even fall for you some day, but it won't happen. You have a crush on him, he knows it, and he's using it to manipulate you."

Tears were flowing freely down Felicity's cheeks as she finally made it into the FBI database. Helena watched as she found the location of her father's safe house.

Felicity closed her eyes, bracing herself for whatever this crazy bitch planned on doing. She could be dead in a few seconds, or forever unable to do what she was most passionate about.

Helena grabbed her chin, and Felicity gasped as she was forced to look at her unstable abductor.

"Good girl," the Huntress said. "I think I'll leave you intact." Felicity sighed in relief. "You know, now I think I understand why you piss me off. It's not your fault; you can't help who you are. But the problem is you're everything I'm not. I mean, look at us; I have a crossbow pointed at your chest, and you're terrified and crying. I'm completely in control, and you've been waiting this whole time for your brave green knight to come rescue you. You're virtually untouched by tragedy, and I'm defined by it. You think I'm scary and I think you're pathetic. But luckily for you, I also think you're completely harmless." She pulled out a silky gray scarf. "Now, tie this tight so I don't have to worry about you screaming. Let's see how Oliver reacts to finding her nerd girl bound and gagged."

Oliver periodically smacked the steering wheel as he sped towards Queen Consolidated. What an idiot he was! He told Helena to skip town, and he had expected her to do it. He was right there with Helena when Felicity walked in and said she could hack the FBI database. _Of course_ Helena would want to use her. He should've been keeping an eye on Felicity, but no, he had to go whine to McKenna and then have sex with her. It was an hour before Oliver even looked at his phone. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Felicity might be _dead!_ Helena might've killed her because Oliver hadn't helped as much as he could have! That crazy psycho bitch… If Felicity had so much as a frown on her face, Helena was getting an arrow in her. _Nobody _fucks with Felicity.

Helena had insisted that Felicity lie face down on the floor after tying the gag. The I.T. girl hadn't tied it very tight, but the Huntress didn't seem to care. It was all about the look of it, anyway.

"Try anything, and I'll break your arms and legs." she warned as she bound her hands. "Cute shoes," she added as she bound her feet.

After the Huntress left, Felicity continued to lie there, face pressed into the hard gray industrial carpet. She had maneuvered the gag out of her mouth minutes ago (and lost her glasses in the process), but there wasn't much she could do to free her hands and feet. So she spent the rest of the time wondering where in the hell Oliver was. She assumed he was vigilante-ing: putting down a wicked one percenter, fighting bad guys with guns, saving blind orphans from a fire… You know, the kind of stuff that keeps you from answering a phone call about a patricidal purple bitch with a crossbow.

Tears were still flowing from her eyes and soaking the carpet. She couldn't forget what Helena had said about Oliver. Was he really using her? Was she no more than a valuable tool? Was he manipulating her? And how angry would he be when he found her here? Would he berate her for giving in to Helena's demands? She wasn't sure, and the fear slowly rose inside her.

She froze when she heard someone running down the hallway. Was it Oliver? Diggle? Or was it Helena, back to maim her for good measure? She remained silent.

"Felicity?"

It was her brave green knight.

"Oliver… Oliver." she called, still shaken but relieved.

"I'm here," he said, hurrying around the desk to untie her. "You okay?"

She didn't reply; she was feeling choked up and didn't want to sob out a response.

"Hey, hey," he said gently as he cut at the tie binding her feet. "You okay?"

Felicity flipped over and sat up. Oliver was staring at her, worried. He placed a hand on the side of her face and repeated his question.

She nodded, grateful he came, however late he was. Her hand moved to grip his wrist consolingly, but then someone else entered the room. Oliver sprang from the floor, ready to throw his pocketknife at the intruder.

Diggle held out his hand in front of him, willing Oliver to stand down. "I came as soon as you called," he said, panting.

Oliver lowered his knife as Felicity got on her knees to peer over the desk.

"What happened?" asked the bodyguard.

"Helena," Oliver replied, his voice dangerously calm.

Diggle glanced worriedly at Felicity. Missing glasses and mascara smudges… what had Helena done?

Felicity stood up and looked at Oliver. "She wanted the address to the safe house where her father's being kept. She made me hack the FBI database." Her look was contrite. "I'm sorry, Oliver."

"Hey, it's not your fault." Oliver countered, racked with guilt.

Felicity tentatively grabbed his arm, both wanting to comfort and be comforted. Oliver pulled away and headed towards the door.

"Oliver, what are you going to do?" said Diggle.

"What I should've done in the first place." he replied with steely resolve.

Diggle stood there, stunned. He looked at Felicity again. Ever since Helena showed up Thursday night, he'd been trying to get Oliver to handle the situation properly. She threatened his family, and Oliver only had Diggle put more security on them. She sprained Tommy's wrist, and he gave in to her demands. But when she used Felicity and tied her up… Maybe Felicity was right; maybe Oliver had pushed her away because he truly cared about her.

All the more reason why she really shouldn't be pregnant.

"Diggle, I need a hug." she said, her voice breaking.

He walked over and complied, knowing she wished she was hugging Oliver instead.

"I see you've finally met Oliver's ex," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Felicity laughed, and it sounded a bit like a sob. "She's like an evil, crossbow-wielding T-Mobile girl!"

Diggle laughed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it." He patted her back. "What did she do to you?"

Felicity shrugged. "Shoved a crossbow in my face, made me feel weak and pathetic, tied me up, talked about maybe killing me…"

"Bitch," Diggle said under his breath.

"Yep."

They were quiet for a moment, and then Felicity spoke again. "What took Oliver so long?"

Diggle's eyes widened. "He was with McKenna."

"But why did it take him so long to answer his… Oh." Felicity let go of Diggle and looked him dead in the eye. "I was lying on the floor for like, an hour… because Oliver was too busy having sex with the cop he shouldn't even be dating?"

"And he's very sorry."

Felicity sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm just gonna let that one go."

"That's probably for the best." Diggle started nudging her towards the door. "Let's get you home, okay?"

"Sure." Felicity pulled off Helena's special gagging scarf as they entered the hallway. "Hey, when Oliver said, 'What I should've done in the first place," what did he mean?"

"He's going to kill her."

Felicity stopped in her tracks. "Oh, that's unsettling."

"She needs to be stopped—"

"No, the fact that that makes me happy," she admitted. "I find that unsettling."

Sunday, March 24th

It was true, what he told Tommy: he couldn't have it both ways. It really had been proven. Poor McKenna; after Oliver had gotten over Felicity being with Ed, he was able to start falling for her. It was risky, yes, but she was good for him; he didn't worry about her as much because she was a cop. She put herself in danger all the time and she could handle it. And she was a good person, and very understanding. But then his ex went and shattered her femur. McKenna broke it off with him, and only a small part of him felt it was better this way.

And then there was Felicity. He felt like he had prevented some real damage when he told her they shouldn't see each other. McKenna was one thing—being a cop, she was an intimidating target for Helena—but what if Oliver had been dating Felicity? Would Helena have left her merely bound and gagged? Would it have been Felicity getting her arm twisted painfully as Helena demanded help?

And then, of course, this makes the second time Felicity was put in danger. Was he really protecting her, like he told Diggle they could? Maybe it was best not to dwell on it; she was far too valuable to the team.

And Oliver really hated the idea of never seeing her.

* * *

**Okay, so another song for Oliver: "Tragedy" by Christina Perri to illustrate his relationship with Helena. I'm sorry it's another girly one (and also by Christina Perri), but it works. **


	7. Bury It

**Wow, just two details in "Salvation" have forced me to move the story along!**

**And so you don't have to look it up, Passover was on March 25****th****.**

**Also, I'm just going to cover certain parts of "Salvation," so mind the gaps!**

* * *

Things were going so well. He'd been worried about her meeting Ronnie, but his son had been getting curious about his father's new girlfriend. So Felicity came over to his place for dinner the Sunday before Passover, and Ronnie cautiously crept into the living room to observe this strange blonde creature. Ed braced himself, knowing Ronnie could be blunt. His son told Felicity she was a geek. She said yes, she was. He blinked at her. Then, turning to his father, he said, "I approve."

Ed barely got a word in edgewise after that. Ronnie kept asking her questions over dinner, and he lit up when he found out she liked superheroes. Ronnie _loved_ superheroes. They went on and on about the Avengers, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the X-Men…Then later on, they discussed _Doctor Who_. Ed just sat back and listened to them talk. Ronnie wasn't usually like this around adults; it seemed he only got along with Ed's sister Cindy, who watched him after school and sometimes on weekends. But here he was talking Felicity's ear off, and she was just as absorbed.

The second the door clicked shut behind her, Ronnie looked at his dad.

"You're going to marry her, right?"

Ed raised his eyebrows. "We've been dating less than a month. It's too soon to say."  
"But she likes superheroes and _Doctor Who_! And she's nice! And she has a pet tortoise! And did you see her nails? They're blue, Dad. You have to marry her."

Eight-year-olds come up with the best reasons for things.

That Tuesday night, Ronnie demanded to go on their date with them. They saw _Oz the Great and Powerful_, and Felicity was made to sit in the middle. Ronnie shared some of his Sour Patch Kids with her, which was actually a huge deal. Ronnie would sooner bite your finger off than share his candy.

And so, they were now on date number eight, and Felicity was still the most beautiful, most perfect girl in the world. Not that Ed would ever tell her; he was enough of a dork without saying mushy stuff like that.

They went out to lunch together at a burger joint not too far from either of their jobs. They had the best fries in the city, and he and Felicity shared them as they talked. When her drink had run out, she took the lid off and started eating the ice. Ed smiled; it reminded him of something.

"What?" she said, a little self-conscious.

He shook his head. "Sorry, it's just that Julia…" Ed glanced at the table. He felt awkward bringing up his late wife. Thankfully, Felicity had no problem with it. "She used to do that. Well, not all the time; it was just when she was pregnant with Ronnie. Turns out it's a symptom called pica. Not that I'm accusing you of being pregnant; people eat ice all the time."

Felicity giggled and stirred the ice with her straw. Suddenly she froze. Ed stared at her, sensing something wrong.

"Felicity?"

She didn't move. It was like she was stuck, trapped in a thought. Her eyes were fixed on her cup, but he could tell they were filled with anxiety.

"I didn't mean to scare you. It's not like you've got anything to worry about. We haven't even gotten close to—"

Felicity looked up at him, her gaze full of meaning.

"But…" Then it dawned on him. He leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. "There was someone who came before me?"

Her lip began to quiver, and she covered her hand with her mouth. Ed sat back, trying to think of an argument. But then he remembered; the nausea on their first date; the fatigue at the planetarium; the head ache at the zoo and at the movie on Tuesday. There was also that time she told him about all those cans of pie filling she ate; his wife had had a similar overwhelming craving attack that involved an entire box of Nilla wafers.

He'd never connected the dots before, because he didn't think it was possible. Nevertheless, Felicity was shaking in front of him, tears running down her face as she cried silently.

"Let's take a trip to the store," he said as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

He was glad he'd come to her office to get her; it forced her to let him help. He could see in the way she stayed quiet and avoided eye contact that she was ashamed, even hoping she could keep him out of this mess. As much as he wanted to know why she should be worried, he kept silent as he drove her to Walgreens.

She refused to let him go in with her. He understood. Twenty minutes later, she came out with a plastic shopping bag. He could only guess what was in it.

He drove her to Queen Consolidated and parked next to her car. She looked at him remorsefully and choked out an apology. He kissed her on the forehead and said to call him if she needed anything.

Stress. She had been blaming it all on stress. And it had seemed likely enough until she started eating ice, which she had never done before. That's when her missed period finally made sense; she thought she had just gotten it early, but she realized that must've been implantation bleeding.

Ed handled it so well. She couldn't look at him on the drive to Walgreens; she was so ashamed and wished he hadn't been around when she'd figured it out. At least he hadn't insisted on going in with her, although a part of her knew he might know how to pick out pregnancy tests. She'd gotten four, just to make sure. When he dropped her off by her car at work, she had wanted to run away without saying anything. But he deserved more than that. She'd turned to him and said she was sorry. He had kissed her forehead to let her know he wasn't angry or disgusted with her, and told her to call him.

After calling in to say she was sick, she drove home, the bag of pregnancy tests in the passenger seat. She glanced at them periodically as she drove home, trying to convince herself they'd all turn out negative.

She read all the instructions twice, and followed them to the letter. The wait was torture. She paced in her bedroom for the first minute or so, but that didn't help. So she got Paperweight from his tank and watched him dawdle around on the floor.

"Do you think I should be scared?" she asked as he nipped at a tassel on the living-room rug. Then she took out her phone to look up the accuracy of pregnancy tests.

She had taken them all one right after the other (It took the whole carton of orange juice), and the first one was done. Her hand shook as she picked it up.

Positive.

Her mind started racing, looking for a way it could be false, but none of the reasons applied to her. She was not on a certain kind of medication, the test wasn't expired, and she was too far along for it to be a chemical pregnancy. But _maybe_ the brand had a flawed design. She kept her fingers crossed, even though two of the eighteen brands were said to have design problems.

Positive.

"Maybe Clearblue isn't a good brand."

Paperweight responded by getting stuck under the couch. Felicity decided he should go back in his tank before he hurt himself.

Positive.

Felicity felt lightheaded.

Positive.

Her knees smarted as she collapsed on the bathroom floor. There was so much to… she was so overwhelmed she didn't even know what to think first, although the word "baby" kept flashing in her mind. It was dangerous. She knew that. It was dangerous to be pregnant while helping the Hood, it was dangerous to be pregnant with Oliver's baby, it was dangerous to be pregnant with the Hood's baby. Hell, it was dangerous to be in this city.

As the thoughts swirled around, she was surprised to see that none of them was "I must get rid of it." It was as if her maternal instinct had kicked in, and it was cranked to eleven. No, she wouldn't get rid of it; she wouldn't take the easy way out and call it a necessary sacrifice. This baby was her responsibility, not to mention the only innocent party in this situation. She loved it, instantly, with so much intensity that it scared her.

Tears ran down her cheeks now, and she placed a hand on her stomach. _You're not going anywhere,_ she thought. But how would she keep that promise? She had been pregnant when she wore that bomb collar, and when the Huntress considered killing her. But she couldn't leave the team, at least not until she found Walter. They really, really needed her, anyway. So what was she to do? What if…? She swallowed hard at the thought of telling Oliver. He might try to convince her to… She shook her head. No way was she taking that risk. Not even with Diggle, who might be compelled to tell Oliver. So, what, she'd keep it a secret? She'd really hide the fact that she was pregnant? Hell yes. Felicity was determined to keep this hidden for as long as possible, then she would… Do something. She would, um, run off when she started showing and then give the baby up for adoption. It wasn't a full plan, but it was something. In the meantime, she'd have to bury it; bury the secret so deep that it'd only feel like a fading dream when she remembered it. _One slip-up and I'm doomed_, she told herself. She was going to hide this so well, it'd make Oliver look like he broadcasts his secret when he feels bored. They would never suspect a damn thing; her motivation was too strong. It was time, once again, to smile though her heart was aching.

But there were two people she really had to tell. One was her doctor.

The other was Ed.

It was a mercy that Ed hadn't been swamped when he got back to work. He needed time to tune out and worry, which was easier to do when you've already met your deadline.

He wasn't angry with Felicity at all, though he thought most guys would be. The identity of the father was a particularly annoying mystery, but he tried not to think about it; it wasn't any of his business.

_But she might not be pregnant at all,_ he reminded himself. The symptoms weren't conclusive… right?

He drove home from work, anxiously tapping the steering wheel. She still hadn't called. He entered his apartment and glanced for the thousandth time at his cell phone. She still hadn't called. He hugged Ronnie and thanked Cindy for looking after him. She still hadn't called.

His phone rang and he snatched it from the coffee table.

"Felicity?"

Ronnie looked up and Ed walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Ed leaned on the island and closed his eyes for a moment. "Do you need anything?"

"You don't deserve to go through this," she said, emotion rising in her voice. "I think we should—"

"I can handle it, really," Ed countered, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I can help."

"But you shouldn't have to."

"But I want to."

"It's not even yours!"

"No, but it's yours." His hand gripped the counter. He was so afraid of losing this argument. "And that's all I care about."

She whimpered, and Ed could tell she was sobbing, the sound muffled by her hand on her mouth.

"Please don't," Felicity begged once she got her tears under control.

"You could tell people it's mine." he offered, his eyes welling with tears. "I've been wanting to have a kid with you, anyway."

The other end was silent, and he knew she was crying, the phone pressed against her shoulder.

"I refuse to do this to you." she finally said. "Please, Ed, this is hard enough,"

Ed took a deep breath. "Okay," he replied, his voice breaking.

"Could you please not tell anyone I'm pregnant? Please?" she begged.

He nodded. "Not a soul,"

"Thank you,"

Saying goodbye to Ed had been unbearable. But how could she get him roped into this? He deserved better. It would be wrong of her to involve him in all this drama. She was really going to miss him, though. Ronnie, too.

At six-twenty, she heard a knock on the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Ed.

"Didn't I break up with up an hour ago?" she asked, wiping the tear tracks from her cheeks.

"Let me do this one last thing for you."

She sighed wearily and opened the door for him. He stepped over the threshold and handed her a grocery bag.

Eager to avoid eye contact, she studied the contents: Folic acid, prenatal vitamins, _What to Expect When You're Expecting_, _The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, _body lotion, a waistband extender—

"Oh, and there's this," Ed reached to the right and picked up the body pillow that was resting against the wall. "I'm not sure if this is _everything_ you'll need for now, but I think it's the major stuff."

Felicity blinked, feeling the tears return. "Can you please stop being so perfect? You're making me feel worse."

"Um… Goshdarnit, Felicity, how could you be so stupid?" he reprimanded, pointing a judgmental finger at her. "How's that?"

She smiled for the first time since lunch. "That works."

Ed rocked on his heels. "Do you need a hug?"

"Absolutely."

He stepped forward and embraced her, tossing the body pillow to the side. Felicity set the bag down and held him tightly.

"If you need me, you call, okay?"

"Okay,"

Ed reluctantly pulled away. "I wish I could stay longer," he said, his hands caressing her face. "But I left Ronnie alone, and I need to get back before he sets something on fire." He kissed her forehead.

"Goodbye, Ed,"

"Goodbye, Felicity,"

She wiped at her eyes as she watched him leave.

Felicity woke to the sound of her cell ringing. She glanced at her clock: one-thirty. _It better not be Oliver with a project._

She answered the phone, too groggy to put on her glasses to read who it was. "Hello?"

"Felicity?"

Her brows furrowed. "Ronnie? What… why are you up so late? And why are you calling?"

"Is it my fault?"

The question woke her up a bit. "What?"

"Did you break up with my dad because of me? He said it was because you guys don't have enough in common, but was he just being nice? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, sweetie, of course not. Your dad was telling the truth."

"But that can't be the truth."

Well, he wasn't wrong.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah," he whispered.  
"I broke up with your dad to protect him. And you, too. I'm dealing with something very dangerous right now and I don't want you or your dad to get hurt. Do you understand?"

"Wow…" he replied, amazed. "Like the Hood?"

Felicity was very awake now. "What?"

"The Hood is very dangerous. Are you working with him?"

"Um…"

"I think…" Ronnie got very quiet again, like he was about to reveal a secret of his own. "that he's actually a good guy. Are you helping him? Is that why you need to protect us?"

"Sweetie, if you promise to never tell anyone ever, including your dad, then sure, that's exactly why."

He fought back a giggle. "I _knew_ you were cool!"

"So… did you steal your dad's phone?"

"Nope. I took his phone while he was in the shower and got your number from it, then I called you on the cordless phone when I was sure he was asleep. I'm hiding in my tent now."

"Smart," she mumbled, impressed. "You have a tent? You never showed me your tent!"

"We hadn't reached that point in our relationship."

Felicity chuckled into her pillow.

"So does this really mean we can't be friends anymore?"

She bit her lip. "I don't think it'd be fair to your dad if I kept talking to you."

"But he got eight dates with you and I only got two!"

"Ronnie,"

"Fine," he mumbled.

"Now go to bed."

"_You _go to bed."

The Hood didn't call her in until the following Monday. Oliver was working out when she came in, and he didn't even acknowledge her. That figured. He'd shrunk back into his shell after the whole Huntress thing. After the progress they'd made, he'd gone back to refusing to joke around with her. Jerk. As if he hadn't done enough already…

"I didn't get to talk to you when you were here Wednesday," Diggle said as she sat down at the desk. "How did Passover go with your parents?"

She smiled at him. "Like it usually does. I got out of work early and made it there by noon, my dad called me 'Flick' like he always does…" She paused to narrow her eyes at him, warning him to never use the nickname. "My mom talked my ear off as I helped her cook, we started at six-thirty and ended by one AM, and then slept in the next morning." Her smile grew to a grin. "But after that comes my favorite part: We always have waffles and watch _Fiddler on the Roof_ with breakfast. And my dad _always_ gets up and sings and dances along with 'If I Were a Rich Man.'"

Diggle chortled. "Your dad sounds cool."

"Oh, no, he's a total dork. Little bitty mouse of man with wire-rimmed glasses and a perpetual smile. And he hums a lot."

"You still sound pretty lucky to have him."

She shrugged, knowing it was true.

"Did they interrogate you about Ed?"  
Oliver stopped hitting that pole thingy. She didn't know if it was to hear their conversation or just to take a break.

"Yeah, they were excited about it."

"How's it going with him?"

The question stung, but she was able to keep it together. "Oh, we broke up on Thursday."

Diggle looked sympathetic, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. How're you doing?"

"Fine." Sort of.

"How many dates had you been on?" asked Diggle.

"Eight."

"What was the problem?"  
"We… uh, we just don't have as much in common as we thought."

"Told you so," Oliver murmured, not realizing they could hear.

"Oliver?" Felicity said.

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Shattered femur,"

His eyes widened, torn between being shocked and insulted. Diggle covered his mouth to hide a smile. Felicity turned back to the monitors and started her work.

Oliver hadn't been fooled by Felicity's vague reason for no longer dating Ed. He knew how guys worked. They had been on eight dates, and then they broke up because they didn't have enough in common? Yeah, right.

The next night, Oliver paid Ed a visit at his apartment. He really, really wanted to go as the Hood, but that wouldn't have been a smart move.

Ed was surprised to see billionaire playboy Oliver Queen at the door, and nervously invited him in.

Oliver cut to the chase. "So I heard you broke up with Felicity,"

Ed raised his eyebrows. "Well, it was mutual—"

"Right, that's how she made it sound." He took a few steps towards the living room. "Something about not having enough in common?"

"Yeah," Ed was getting really confused. Why did Oliver care? Why would he even know about them breaking up, anyway?

"You know, Ed, there's no point in playing innocent with me." Oliver faced him. "After eight dates? It's obvious what really happened."

"It… is?"

He stepped closer, making Ed feel intimidated. "I know how it works, Ed. You got what you wanted, and then you bailed."

He blinked. "I'm still lost."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Once you got her in bed, there wasn't anything else you wanted from her. So you dumped her."

"Whoa," Ed exclaimed, shocked. "We were only dating for a month! All I ever did was kiss her!"

Oliver looked unconvinced.

"I'm telling you the truth." Ed stared at him, wondering why… Oh. "Wait a minute, you like her!"

The billionaire blushed. "I do not,"

"Oh, you definitely… do." The reporter had a look on his face Oliver didn't understand. He had clearly made some big connection, but Oliver couldn't think what it was.

"Am I going to read about a billionaire playboy's love for an I.T. girl tomorrow?" he quipped.

Ed snapped out of his musings. "I don't believe in gossip."

"You're a reporter who doesn't believe in gossip? I find that ironic."

"Dad, who's this guy?"

Oliver turned around to see a boy with a Spiderman action figure staring at him. So this was Ronnie.

"Hey, are you that jerk I see on TV sometimes?"

Oliver sighed, realizing he probably was. "Yes, I am."

"Are you talking to my dad about Felicity? Do you know her?"

Growing self-conscious, he glanced at Ed. "Yeah, I'm a friend of hers."

"Wait here," Ronnie rushed down the hall.

One uncomfortable half-minute later, he brought Oliver a little Iron Man action figure.

"Can you give her this?"

Oliver took the toy, nodding. Then he looked at Ed.

"Good talking to you," he said, sounding like he really wanted to leave.

"Yeah," Ed opened the door for him, and he dashed out of the apartment.

The action figure felt like a lead weight in his jacket pocket. How could he give it to Felicity without her suspected he went to interrogate Ed? And he couldn't just get rid of it; Ronnie looked so hopeful. Oliver didn't know when they met, but it seemed that had gotten along really well. He wasn't sure what she and Ed didn't have in common, but he did now know that Ed hadn't dumped her after sleeping with her. Oliver knew he wasn't lying; he could tell.

Oliver left the toy on the desk in the lair for her to find. He hoped she wouldn't ask questions. She didn't, although she did give him a knowing smirk.

Friday, April 5th

That showoff. That big, muscly, stupid showoff. Why did he insist on being shirtless _and_ working out in front of her? Or above her, actually. He gripped a bar high above her head, keeping his body horizontal which, she noticed, made every muscle flex. So. Not. Cool. The news played on the monitor in front of her, going on about a slumlord. Oliver pointed out that he was one of the richest developers in the city, and also one of the dirtiest. His voice was gruff as he spoke, his whole body straining to maintain its position. It was difficult for her not to gape when he held the bar with one hand and hung there like a gorgeous monkey man, and it was even worse when he dropped to the floor. She got a wonderful view of his backside, and she swallowed hard to stifle a whimper.

Then he asked her if she was okay with him crossing this messed-up mogul off the list. She eventually said one-hundred percent, but it was more like seventy. Felicity had become a tad bit better about that kind of thing, but not much. The guy built faulty buildings, but they were still places to live, right? Hopefully Oliver would only scare him into being good. Anyway, he probably would've gone whether Felicity was okay with it or not.

Diggle didn't need to point out his recent, excessive time as the Hood. Oliver was conscious of it. And, okay, so maybe Diggle was right; Oliver was avoiding entanglements. But wasn't that for the best? It was true that the people who got close to him got hurt.

"What's the problem? Do you think I'm losing my grip?"

"No, it's just the opposite, really. You seem calm; scary calm." Diggle watched him sip his drink, knowing he wanted to avoid this conversation. "I get it that things didn't end well with Helena, with McKenna—"

"With Laurel," Oliver interjected, cutting him off before he could mention Felicity. "With Sarah… the list goes on."

"Yeah, but what do you do? You hood up, you go home, you repeat. That's not much of a life, man—"

"The life that I'm leading for myself right now doesn't leave much room for an actual life." he countered, his voice getting close to that of his Hood persona. "And I don't need one."

"Wow," Diggle responded, raising his eyebrows. "That's a pretty bleak future you plan on spending with _no one_."

Oliver stared at him for a second, knowing what Diggle was getting at. Felicity was no longer dating Ed, and Diggle thought he should take advantage of that. "I'm used to isolation."

"And that is exactly what worries me,"

Oliver sighs, getting irritated.

"You've been home for eight months, Oliver," Diggle continued. "But I don't think you've left that island yet."

Suddenly, the cacophony of ringing phones grew louder and more suspicious.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Diggle.

Then Felicity called. Oliver answered his phone.

Oliver sure liked to yell at her, didn't he? He could've _politely_ asked her to track down disgruntled tenants who might want the slumlord dead, but no. It was bark, bark, bark. It's not like she was doing this without pay, or anything. So she sat alone in the basement, thankful she had eaten dinner already. She was also kind of happy to be alone. Her performance had been flawless—Felicity deserved an Emmy— but it was draining. The times she'd been in the Cave since… you know… she hadn't hung around very long. She just stared at her screen and did as Oliver asked, then she went home to cry, eat ice, and hug her tortoise. Hell, she only found out _last week_ and she was keeping herself together. Bravo, Felicity.

Oliver yelling at her hurt more than it should have. It stirred up fears, imagined scenarios of her telling him what she was going through. There was always lots of yelling. She wasn't sure how accurate the prediction was, but she didn't want to risk it.

Her hands shook as she worked, struggling to keep the truth from flooding her mind and filling her with anxiety. _Not now, sweetie,_ she thought, gently tapping her stomach. It calmed her, oddly enough.

Then she found the live feed. Well, at least she knew what happened to the slumlord. She sent the link to Oliver and told him to watch. Her eyes were glued to the screen as the crazy videographer described the slumlord's wicked deeds. Then things started to look bad when the slumlord tried to argue his case. Felicity turned around just before the gun went off.

Saturday, April 6th

Felicity crouched in a huddled ball in a dark corner of the Cave. Diggle had tried to comfort her, tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, but it didn't matter. She was about to break, and she needed him to go away. She yelled at him to leave her alone and hugged her legs tighter. He backed off, startled. She had never shouted at him before. Tears spilling over onto her cheeks, she rested her chin on her knees as he climbed the stairs.

She had never seen anybody die before. It was her fault. She knew it was her fault. That man didn't deserve to die. She should've figured out his location, she should've known what the Savior was doing… and she'd tried so hard. Oliver's yelling didn't help, but she couldn't blame him for being angry. That attorney died because she couldn't find him.

It also brought out that precious, buried-deep-down fear; what if she couldn't save her baby? She bit her lip to keep from crying harder and frantically shoveled dirt on top of the growing anxiety. Keeping the secret was one thing, but staying out of danger wasn't always easy. Felicity shook her head, stomping down on the freshly turned earth. _Bury it, bury it, bury it…_

At least he didn't think it was her fault.

Oliver came down the stairs to find Felicity leaning against a table, turning an arrow around in her hands. Was she good enough for this job? Was it worth staying, even though it's started to severely mess with her life? Could she handle it, and the loneliness that came with it? She felt like she had no one to talk to. Well, actually, there was Diggle, but the thing was… She was missing Oliver. A lot. She wanted to talk to him about all this crap, and she felt like she bothered Diggle enough.

Oliver told her it wasn't her fault, which she found hard to believe. She told him that maybe it was better to be alone, and she kind of believed it.

"I'm not seeing anyone currently, but… If I were, I don't know how I'd tell him about today."

He said nothing in return. All he did was take the arrow from her and walk away.

Why did she even say that? It just sort of… came out. It looked like it made him feel guilty. Maybe it did. Maybe it should. He's the reason she broke up with Ed, the reason she was suffering so much, the reason… No, she was not going to play the blame game. That never ended well. It was just as much her fault as it was his. And Oliver was messed up, remember? She couldn't expect him to function like a well-adjusted human being, right?

After he left, she realized she hadn't slept, eaten, or showered since before she entered the lair. So she went home to take care of Paperweight, and then bought a sandwich to eat in the Cave. After lunch, she took a nap on the sparring mat before continuing her work.

Finally, it was all over. The subway! If only she had known the city used to have a subway… She was glad she had isolated that sound, and that Diggle recognized it. And then Oliver saved that pretty gangbanger! Who happened to be dating Oliver's sister. Awkward. But everything turned out okay, even though Oliver had to kill the Savior. Felicity felt bad for him, even though he didn't show Oliver's "level of restraint." Still, it was over. Mercifully, wonderfully over. She wanted to leave (Shower time!), but she wasn't quite done yet. She wanted a map of the subway system before going. It might come in handy someday.

"Psst,"

Felicity turned in her chair to see Oliver standing behind her.

"If you ever need to tell someone about your day… You can tell me."

She smiled at him as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was nice to not be pushed away for once. It almost gave her hope for the two of them.

"Thanks," she said quietly, wanting very much to put her hand over his. But she didn't want to push her luck.

* * *

**Felicity's song for this chapter is "Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick. And I'm sorry, but it's going to be hard for me to keep up now that it's the last month of the semester. I'll try, though! **


	8. Head Above Water

**Greetings, dear readers! You bunch of adorable bastards, you! I thought I'd take a moment to thank everyone who's reviewed, favorited and followed. THANK YOU! Also, I'm sorry for the ongoing angstfest, but this fanfic likes to do its own thing. Can I just blame the show? Because there has be ZERO Olicity fluff (the light kind) since the Odyssey. For me to change that now would be inconsistent.**

* * *

Felicity woke to the scent of sweat, leather, and… hmm. She wasn't sure what the third thing was, but it was familiar. Lazily snatching her glasses off the bedside table, she turned to her right to see a man sleeping next to her.

Justice. The third scent was justice.

The Hood was asleep beside her, his mask mostly wiped off. His jacket, bow, quiver, pants and boots were on the chair next to the window. He looked so vulnerable.

Not that it quelled her anger.

Sitting up, she took her pillow in her hand and thought about hitting him with it. Or maybe, you know, suffocating him with it. How dare he! After _everything_… after reeling her in and pushing her away, after knocking her up and costing her Prince Charming, he had the balls to sneak into her apartment again. And get in bed with her. And be… adorable. She'd never seen him asleep before (unconscious, yes, but never asleep) and he looked so cuddly. So very, very cuddly. She wanted to put her pillow down and hold him—NO! No giving in! That's what got her pregnant in the first place!

Her pillow hit his head with an almighty _THWACK_.

A second later she was pinned to the mattress, his hands at her throat. _Bad, idea, bad idea, bad idea, _she thought as she gasped for air. His fearsome expression softened once he realized who he was choking.

His hands released her immediately, his eyes wide and remorseful.

Felicity inched away, watching him. The faint sunlight illuminated his numerous scars, along with the bruises and cuts from last night. But what stuck her most was his expression; he thought he was a monster. She could see it on his face.

Suddenly the resentment that had been percolating inside her vanished. All this time, she'd been reminding herself to be patient with Oliver and remember that he wasn't well-adjusted; that hadn't made her really believe it, though. In spite of the frequent reminders, the idea had never taken hold. She was still angry with him, and getting angrier by the day. But seeing him now… There was no justification for the growing bitterness. This man was broken and battle-scarred, hollowed-out and hurt. How could she expect so much from him?

"Ollie?" she said gently.

He reluctantly met her eyes. "The sun was coming up. I didn't have enough time to—"

"It's okay," Felicity moved to put a hand to his face, but then changed her mind. "Um… I'm sorry I hit you."

Oliver looked away from her, a pained look on his face. "You okay?"

Felicity wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to hold him—so, so badly—but it felt like too much. What if he didn't want her to? What if he moved away, or shrugged her off? She didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable. And she didn't want to feel more rejected, either.

"I'm fine, really," She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm not mad."

Oliver glanced at Felicity, her expression suggesting she was talking about more than what he had done just now.

He stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "I should go." Oliver said as he slipped out of bed.

Felicity felt a pang in her chest as he turned his back to her. "But it's daylight—"

"I can still hide," he countered dismissively, zipping up his pants.

Felicity bit her lip to keep it from quivering. She watched as he sat down to put on his boots. Unable to hold back, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his midsection, her cheek resting against his dragon tattoo. She felt him sigh.

"Felicity, get off."

Slowly, she let go of him. "Sorry,"

He stood up and pulled on his t-shirt. "Remember to lock the window behind me."

Felicity nodded, reminding herself that he wasn't being mean on purpose. He did care about her. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" he asked, zipping up his jacket.

"_You can tell me."_ she said quietly, quoting what he had told her only a few nights ago.

His expression softened. "Of course,"

"It works both ways, so you know," she replied, avoiding eye contact as she picked at a loose thread on her comforter.

She felt a gloved finger tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll keep that in mind."

When she looked up, he was gone.

Felicity woke with a start at the sound of her alarm clock, the details of the dream blurring and fading. She hit the button and tried to remember what happened before she lost it. The dream was something she had needed, even if it hadn't been entirely pleasant. She had never wanted to grow bitter, but with everything that's happened, it was difficult to avoid. The dream had reminded her not to hold Oliver to normal standards. What good did it do anyone if she resented him? It wasn't only his fault; she didn't resist him, even though she had known it probably wouldn't work out. And she didn't ask about protection, either; clearly, he had assumed she was on the pill. And shouldn't she have suspected, knowing they didn't use contraception? Things with Ed wouldn't have gone as long as they did if she'd taken the tests earlier. Somehow, placing blame on herself actually helped.

Maybe it was because she loved him. If she really loved him, it'd be for who he really is, right? She would accept him for all his flaws, and not push him to act a certain way just to make her happy. She was the one who wasn't broken. It was her responsibility to be patient and give him what he needed without expecting something in return. Even if he ended up with someone else in the end, it's not like he'd be leaving her with nothing.

She sighed and patted her still-flat tummy. _Good morning, Baby Hood._ She smiled, remembering what she read about her baby's development last night. She was nine weeks along, so Baby Hood was about the size of a grape right now. The illustration on the sight looked like a big-headed bean with four little flippers.

Next week was the beginning of the fetal period. The baby would start kicking then, but she wouldn't be able to feel it. And her doctor had her scheduled for an ultrasound next week, because the heartbeat would be detectable. _Buddabuddabuddabudda…_ It would be rapid like a machine gun, and she couldn't wait to hear it.

She breathed a breath of relief as she remembered that she still hadn't outgrown her clothes. She'd only gained three pounds. It was perfectly normal to gain so little weight in the first trimester, and that made her happy. It gave her more time to keep her secret.

Oh, and it seemed her symptoms were getting better! Yes, there were headaches still, and some fatigue, but her nausea was getting better. She hadn't thrown up in a whole week! Her doctor said it wasn't common for nausea to lessen instead of increase at her stage, but it happened. She grinned at her incredible luck.

One thing she was worried about was the mood swings. They were supposed to be common right about now, so she wasn't looking forward to that. Oh, well. If she had an outburst, she could just blame it on her period.

_I should really be getting up now. Time to get ready for work, my little grape._

Sunday, April 14th

Felicity was having one hell of a weekend. Friday night, she turned on the TV and found out that the Count had escaped the mental institute. When she went to the Cave to show Oliver and Dig (They were there. Of course they were there. Why wouldn't they be? They clearly love it down there.), Oliver was pissed. _He flipped a table. _He just turned around and flipped a table. It scared the hell out of her. She wondered if it was because that might be his reaction if he ever found out her secret.

The next night, Diggle went out to buy vertigo with money they could track. Felicity had offered to go instead, just to be nice, and Diggle laughed at her. Oliver, not so much.

At seven o'clock, just a few hours ago, there was an incident at the aquarium. A guy hopped up on vertigo was waving a gun around. He shot out the security cameras moments after Felicity accessed them. Instead of rushing off to do his hero thing, Oliver started making tea. He said it was made with some special herb he brought back from the island and it'd probably counteract the vertigo. Amazingly, he didn't plan on killing the guy. Oliver didn't think he deserved to die; his sister Thea didn't deserve to die when she took that garbage. _"He didn't fail the city… The city failed him."_ Oliver thought he failed him, too. Felicity tried to convince him it wasn't his fault. He stopped the Count the last time, didn't he? No use. Oliver argued that it hadn't been enough to stop the Count from coming back to hurt more people. Felicity pushed again, trying to make him see that he wasn't to blame. He blew up at her, just like he always did. She steeled herself, refusing to flinch. As he walked off with the antidote-filled arrow, he turned around. Their eyes met and for a second she thought he would say he was sorry. He didn't, but she could see an apology in his eyes, and it was enough for her. Before leaving, Oliver told her to call Diggle; he would need backup at the aquarium. She did, but Diggle didn't pick up. It worried her, but she left him a message and trusted he would be there for Oliver.

Now Felicity sat on her couch, still in her clothes from earlier. She loved her outfit, but she wondered if it had been a subconscious attempt to get Oliver to notice her. Leather boots and an A-line floral-print skirt weren't what she usually wore.

Chewing her lip, she tried to focus on her show. She was watching "The Empty Child," Jack Harkness' debut episode on _Doctor Who_. She'd really needed some Jack Harkness. He was good for the soul. Felicity giggled to herself when she realized watching Jack Harkness' first appearance meant watching the episode with the line, "Are you my mummy?" The creepy little boy in the gasmask roams around looking for his mother, a woman who had hidden her pregnancy and had been pretending the child was actually her little brother.

Jack Harkness was hitting on Rose when Felicity's phone rang.

"Get to the club." Oliver said when she picked up.

She was about to answer back when he hung up on her. Thank God for that dream she had a few nights ago. It was the reminder she'd needed, especially during times like this.

Felicity glanced down at her stomach. _I think your daddy is preparing me for how to deal with you when you're fussy, _she thought as she turned off the TV.

* * *

**Felicity's song: "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele.**

** Sorry for the wait! And I'm sorry it's short. I had writer's block. This last episode didn't conflict the story, but it didn't give me a ton to work with, either. Hey, can you believe that five episodes have worked so far? I wonder how many more will. Oh, and I wanted to point out a couple of things concerning the show (not my story)**

**Oliver's behavior towards Felicity. "Dodger" is where he stops smiling, laughing, and joking around with her. Yeah, he can be himself with her now, but then why does he still joke with Diggle? And does it mean that his behavior before was totally fake? He never genuinely laughed or smiled at her? What's the show's reason for all of that?**

**Oliver DID NOT want Felicity to meet Helena. But why, exactly? Helena only kills people who get in her way. Oliver and Helena both heard Felicity say that she could hack the FBI database. If she had been allowed to help, it would've all been over quickly. None of that stuff with the vans or breaking Helena out of the police station. Oliver had made things way harder by keeping Felicity out of it. **_**Why**_** would Helena think to hurt Felicity, anyway? She's too useful. What threat did she pose? Helena would've had no reason to hurt her in any way. Unless… didn't Helena say that she knew to apply leverage? That the way to get what you want is to exploit weakness? Is that what Oliver was afraid of? Had his greatest weakness walked into the Arrow Cave that night, and was he terrified that Helena would figure out how much he cared for Felicity if he allowed her to stay and help?**

**Spooky, right? I think my fanfiction is starting to feel like a fan theory. **


	9. Trust Issues

**Please forgive me! I wanted to have this done on Sunday, but finals week has been busier than I expected. Also, there may be some inaccuracy when it comes to the pregnancy. I don't know what all goes on at a doctor's visit and little things like that. That might not bother some people, but I like to make things as accurate as possible.**

* * *

April 24

"I had a dream a tadpole followed me home. And I was driving a gondola. Is that what you mean by weird symptoms?"

Felicity lounged on the exam table, jittery with nervous energy. Her doctor was putting that jelly stuff on the handheld ultrasound thingy. She was finally going to hear her baby's heartbeat!

"That sounds normal, actually," Dr. Whetstone said with a smile. "So there's nothing odd that you've noticed?"

"I'm not sure I've gained enough weight."

"You've only gained three pounds, but that's still normal. Don't worry about that until the second trimester, okay?"

Felicity was thankful Dr. Whetstone was so patient with her. She was the only person Felicity could talk to about her pregnancy.

The doctor squirted the jelly onto Felicity's exposed stomach then pressed the ultrasound wand to it. She worked it around slowly.

"You told me last time that you weren't keeping it," she started conversationally.

Felicity swallowed hard. It wasn't something she liked to think about. "Adoption is the best thing I can do for my baby. I thought I should wait until the second trimester before contacting an agency."

"Being a single mother isn't impossible, though. Or maybe the father would like to help?" Dr. Whetstone gave her a comforting smile. "Does he still not know?"

"I don't think he should ever know."

Her doctor glanced away abashedly. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

"That's okay," Felicity didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. "You're like my second mom. Not because you're nosy; you're my mom's age. Um, not that you're old—"

"It's alright, I get it," she said, her sweet smile coming back.

_BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM…_

Felicity gasped. It was louder than she'd expected, and different from the two-note sound of her own heartbeat. And… wow. She knew there'd be the picture on the monitor, but she hadn't expected to recognize the picture as a baby. But when she finally looked at it…

It really looked like a baby. It had a little head and a little body and little limbs. And it wasn't some generic picture on the internet or someone's ultrasound on YouTube: this was her Baby Hood, moving in real time on the monitor beside her. Her tiny, perfect baby.

Dr. Whetstone handed her a tissue. Felicity dabbed at her eyes, careful of her makeup.

_Happy crying. Humany wumany. _Felicity thought as she fought to save her mascara. She knew she'd have to give up her baby when the time came, but right now she had it all to herself, and it was enough.

High on mushy-gushy maternal thoughts, Felicity hummed "What a Wonderful World" on her way home.

April 27

"When it comes to complexity, I grade on a curve." Oliver said as he left the lair. Felicity sat in her chair and stared blankly ahead while the words repeated in her head, making her angrier and angrier. She couldn't believe he had said that. It was almost as bad as that "slim pickings" quip he said two months ago. That idiot. That insensitive idiot—

"Felicity," said Diggle, nudging her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" she couldn't hide her irritation. She'd had to hide a lot of things lately, so she figured she could forgive herself this time. "What's wrong? Did you hear him? Did you hear what he said?"

Diggle gave her a sympathetic smile. "Yes, I did."

"He grades on a curve?" Felicity stood up too, her chair rolling back and hitting the desk. "The hell he does." She started pacing. "That idiot."

"Seems Oliver has struck a nerve."

Felicity glanced at him. He was curious to hear what was troubling her. That was understandable. They had been talking less since she found out she was pregnant, and Deadshot's reappearance hadn't helped, either.

"He said he grades on a curve!" she yelled, stomping her feet in a brief tantrum.

"Yeah, I heard," replied Diggle, being patient and trying not to laugh.

"Oliver could date the cop who was hunting him down and that wasn't _complicated," _she growled through clenched teeth. "And he can go on a lunch date with his ex-girlfriend who's dating his ex-best friend and that isn't _complicated_, but do you know what he told me?" Felicity looked ready to cry hot tears of frustration.

"What'd he tell you?" Diggle said gently, realizing that she was still hurting after what Oliver had done several weeks ago. Felicity dating Ed must not have helped as much as he thought.

"He told me we couldn't be together because our involvement shouldn't get too _complicated_." she grumbled. "It doesn't make any sense! This is torture! I want to punch his stupid, punchable face! He's so—"

Diggle grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a hug.

"Ew, you're sweaty."

"Do you want a hug or not?"

"Yeah,"

"I'm sorry we haven't been talking as much. I've been so focused on Lawton—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Diggle didn't respond, which made her wonder if he believed her. Then he changed the subject.

"Oliver's being friendlier to you," he said as he rubbed her back. "Have you noticed?"

She smiled. "That blonde joke was the first joke I've heard from him in a while. I'm guessing you talked to him?"

He chuckled. "I hit him with a stick and told him to be nice to you."

"Thanks," she said as she pulled out of his embrace. "I'm gonna need you to let go before you crush me in your big meaty arms."

"You're right," he admitted with a smirk, dropping his arms to his sides. "Wouldn't want to snap you in half."

"Do you wrestle grizzlies in your spare time?"

"Yes," he managed to say with a straight face.

"Cool. Hey, can you train with me? I need to hit something."

April 29

The sound of the door slamming shut made Felicity flinch.

"Where the hell is he?" Diggle roared as he stormed in.

"He… he didn't show up?" She gulped as she caught sight of the gash above his left eyebrow.

"No, he didn't! Four agents died and I got coldcocked!"

Felicity took a deep breath as she took out the first aid kit. She shouldn't have told Oliver about Rasmus. But how could she know he would see him as a greater priority than Deadshot? "You're bleeding a lot. I need to clean that up."

Diggle sat on a stool and she started dabbing at the cut with a cotton swab, a penlight in her other hand to illuminate the wound.

"What could've possibly held him up?"

She was reluctant to answer. "Rasmus… the guy who ordered the hit on that family… he was fleeing the country. Oliver wanted to catch him."

He was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. "If he was running, how does that make him a greater threat?" Anger was creeping into his voice. "How the hell does that make any sense?"

"I guess he wanted it done with." she answered, trying to calm him.

Diggle shook his head. "He wanted to protect Laurel. This is about her. He didn't need to go after Rasmus; he just wanted to because of her."

Felicity added rubbing alcohol to the other end of the swab and started to carefully clean the wound. The blood was congealing and only pulling the dry end apart. "Maybe it's because of the little boy."

"No, it's not." Felicity could hear the fury he was trying to contain and was thankful he wasn't taking this out on her. "It's about Laurel. He promised me we'd catch Deadshot, but the moment Laurel was put in danger, he put her first. The danger's not even immediate, and yet he bailed on me. He didn't even call to let me know. I could've died tonight. Deadshot had two guns pointed at me. He would've killed me if he was getting paid for it. Lucky for me his pride only lets him use his skills for a fee."

"I'm sorry, Dig," she said quietly.

"You've got nothing to feel sorry about. This is all on Oliver."

Felicity opened her mouth to speak, wondering if she should try to vouch for Oliver. "Is it possible he assumed you could handle it?"

Diggle sighed. "He better not have."

"I'm just wondering if that's why."

"Felicity, he made a snap decision to help Laurel. He will always choose Laurel. I'm glad it was just me he let down. What if it was you?"

Felicity froze. "What do you mean?" She knew what he meant, but she still wanted to ask.

"What's he going to do if he has to choose between you and Laurel?" Diggle looked at her with concern. "I can at least defend myself, but what about you? What's he going to do when you need him but he's off protecting Laurel instead?"

Before she could even think of an answer, they heard the door open. Diggle scowled, and Felicity knew this confrontation wasn't going to be pretty.

It wasn't. Diggle didn't let Oliver off easy. He didn't pretend to be understanding, he didn't act like it wasn't a big deal. _Good,_ Felicity thought as she watched, her expression impassive. Diggle even brought up Oliver's thing about Laurel. Felicity agreed that "everyone else be damned" was a fairly accurate description of his feelings towards his ex. When it was over and Diggle had left, Oliver asked if she had something to say.

Well, there was a lot, actually. She wanted to call him a jerk. She wanted to point out that his mother was probably part of the Undertaking. Oh, and there was that whole thing about her being pregnant with his baby. But why would he want to hear any of that?  
"Nothing you want to hear." She responded, the first aid supplies and turning around to put everything away.

Oliver had screwed up. Badly. He knew it, too. He knew it would be stupid to let Laurel back into his life, but he needed someone. Diggle said that he was still on the island, and it was true. Oliver's first thought was to talk to Felicity, but he couldn't do that; not after working so hard to push her away. Even being playful with her seemed too risky; if Diggle hadn't mentioned that his dismissive attitude was hurting her feelings, he never would've changed. And that was hard enough even to consider, so actually opening up to her seemed like an even worse idea.

But there was Laurel. He still loved her. Not the way he loved Felicity, but still, his feelings were strong. He had once been able to talk to her. He didn't see Laurel ever wanting him back—she had Tommy—so she'd only want to be friends. He knew it would be awkward, but he thought it'd be worth it.

Unfortunately, it seemed that all his buried feelings for Felicity were being transferred to Laurel. He was suddenly letting himself feel again… all that fear for Felicity's safety… seeing Laurel in danger and knowing what he could do about it… He acted rashly. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew.

Now Diggle quit the team, and, ironically, all he had left was Felicity.


	10. Poker Face

May 4

Felicity had been at it all night. The files on the laptop Oliver had brought her were protected by an asymmetric encryption algorithm, and breaking in was a total bitch. So bye-bye, good night's sleep!

Even after all these hours, she still hadn't figured out who all this money belonged to. She did manage to create a list of deposits after hacking Cayman Fidelity, but what good did that—

Wait, that one… that really big one of December twelfth… Isn't that the day Walter disappeared? Felicity sat in her chair, stunned by the realization. This was a clue. After six months, she finally had a lead on Walter. This might actually be it. They could find him soon! This was the reason Felicity joined, and it was finally happening!

As she hurried up the stairs, something else occurred to her; after this, their deal was done. She told Oliver she would quit the team once they found Walter. This was her out. Once they found Walter—however long that would take—she could get away. She could leave after this, and Oliver wouldn't suspect anything was wrong. And if Oliver could quit being a jerk and make up with Diggle along that way, then everything would be perfect.

Saving Walter now also meant keeping her secret, which made this discovery all the more urgent.

Felicity burst through the swinging door that led to behind the bar. "Oliver I need to show you what—" Then she saw the knockout at the bar he was talking too. Felicity had a feeling she knew who she was. "I just totally walked in on a thing, didn't I?"

The pretty brunette looked confused. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Nobody," Felicity answered before Oliver could say anything. "I mean, I'm not nobody; I'm someone, obviously, and so are you, you're… Laurel, right? That Laurel?" Oliver's old flame gave her an awkward smile. "Gorgeous Laurel…" _The Laurel that Oliver will always choose over everyone, including me… _

Oliver finally spoke up. "This is Felicity. She's setting up my internet."

"Router, and I need to show Oliver something very important related to it."

"I'll let you go, then," Laurel replied. "Thank you for the coffee… and the advice."

"What if one of Bachman's clients was paid two million to kidnap Walter?"

Felicity and Oliver were in the basement, and she had convinced him of the usefulness of that deposits list.

"Then we find out which client it was," he answered as they walked to the computers. "And use them to find Walter."

Felicity sat down, almost jittery as she put her fingers to the keyboard.

"Okay, back trace the account, follow the money... Hopefully, it will lead us to whoever kidnapped Walter." Oliver ordered.

"After all this time, do you think Walter might still really be alive?"

"I don't know."  
Seconds later, Felicity found him, his information popping up on the screen. "Got it: Dominic Alonso."

Oliver let out an exasperated sigh.

"Name ring any bells?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Alonso runs the biggest underground casino in Starling City when he not busy kidnapping."

Felicity stared at the screen. "He looks like the kind of low-life someone would hire to kidnap Walter." Interrogating this guy was going to be satisfying. She looked at Oliver. "How many arrows do you think you'll have to put in him before he gives up Walter's location? Say, a lot?"

"It's not that simple. That casino has its own private army. We need to access Alonso's computer, but without setting off any alarms."

"Looks like we're going to need all the help we can get," she replied. "It's too bad there isn't someone else we could call…"

"That's enough," Oliver chided. "We can do this on our own."

"Well then, looks like someone's going gambling tonight."

"Those guys would make me the minute that I walked in there. Oliver Queen would never be caught dead in a place like that."

"I wasn't talking about you."

"Absolutely not," Oliver said, sounding like a dad forbidding his teenager from going to a concert on a school night.

"I can count cards," Felicity argued. "It's all probability theory and mathematics. Have you met me? Bottom line, I know my way around a casino."

"Felicity, I'm not letting you walk—"

"Oliver, the reason I joined you in the first place was to find Walter," she countered, standing up. "And for the first time we have a real chance at finding him."

He looked as if he was searching in vain for a rebuttal.

"You have to let me do this."

Oliver looked at the computer. Felicity had pulled up the article about Walter's disappearance. The tactic worked.

"Alright. But we do it my way."

Felicity nodded.

"Come on," Oliver said, and Felicity followed him out. "Go home and get some sleep. We'll go to the casino tonight."

"Should I wear that gold dress I have? Think that's casino-y enough?"

"You'll need something more formal. I'll take care of it."

Diggle had a feeling Felicity would come by eventually. She was the peacekeeping type, sure to try and mend the fences between him and Oliver.

"What do you want?" he asked after opening the door.

"Is that any way to treat a girl who just walked up _six_ flights of stairs?"

She made a valid argument. "No, it's not. Where are my manners? Come on in."

"Thank you," she replied as she crossed the threshold.

Diggle locked the door behind her. "Welcome," he said, gesturing to his apartment as he made his way to the fridge. He got out two beers. Offering a beverage was a perfectly normal thing to do when entertaining a guest, but Diggle was looking to confirm something. Well, maybe not confirm, but…

He was nearly certain Felicity was pregnant. All of those symptoms, some of which had gone away, were very suspicious. If it were true, she would've figured it out by now. He had assumed she would tell him—probably not Oliver, but definitely him—yet she still hadn't said anything. He didn't want to ask her outright, so he thought giving her a beer would help clear things up a bit. If she drank it, okay, but if she didn't…

"Did you do these?" she asked, trying to be conversational as she observed the paintings.

"You know, Felicity," he said, handing her a beer. "Oliver and I don't need a relationship counselor."

She wasn't convinced. "That hasn't been my experience." she argued as he sat down on the couch. "We have a lead on Walter. I need you to come back and help us find him." Felicity said as she sat down next to him.

"Oliver put you up to this?" he questioned, waiting for her to take a sip.

"No," She set her beer on the coffee table. "He doesn't even know I'm here."

It seems she was going to casually forget about it. Maybe she just wasn't thirsty. Still, it made him wonder.

"Look, I know Oliver didn't help you find your brother's killer and that hurts…" she began. "It sucks. But you gotta know that if it was your life on the line and not just your very understandable vendetta, he would be there for you, no hesitation."

"And I don't want a partnership with those kinds of qualifications, Felicity."

"I know Oliver's religiously against admitting he's wrong…" Boy, did she. In some ways, she knew it better than him. "But the truth is, he needs you."

Diggle thought about it for a second. "Yeah," he stood up, signaling that her visit was over. "And when Oliver is ready to say that, he knows where I live."

Sighing, Felicity stood up. "Sorry to bother you,"

"It's no bother. I hope you find him."

As she left, he wondered how she must be doing. Could she really be keeping something so big a secret? If it were really true, that is. Diggle also wondered how Oliver must be treating her without him around to stick up for her.

All he knew for certain was that Oliver better apologize soon.

_Everything was going to be fine_. Felicity repeated it over and over in her head, trying to calm down. She had been so driven to save Walter that she hadn't thought about just how dangerous it was.

Oliver had told her the plan on the way out of the club; it sounded simple enough, even safe enough. But she was still going in there alone; Oliver outside and no Diggle for backup. She regretted not telling Diggle she was going in the field. He would've rejoined the team for the sake of her safety, but it would be far more dangerous to have Oliver and Diggle working together with their issues unresolved. Felicity was the only option.

_I'm so sorry, Baby Hood. Mommy has to do this. I promise, if there was any other way…_ Felicity took a deep breath and started fixing her makeup. Her hair was already done, and Oliver was going to be there any minute with her outfit.

Felicity started singing "Poker Face," and it helped her mood. Especially since the lyrics were so relevant to what she was going through.

Minutes later, she was buzzing Oliver in and opening the door for him. He held two shopping bags.

"Yay, presents!" she cheered, trying to put a smile on his face and failing. She kept trying, though. "Does this kind of remind you of _Pretty Woman_? Is there a really expensive necklace in there and when I try to touch it, you'll snap the box shut on me?"

Oliver only raised an eyebrow. "There's no necklace."

Felicity nodded, pursing her lips. She grabbed the bags and went into her bedroom. Oliver shut the front door, locking it like Felicity should always remember to do.

"Hey, the dress is red, like in the movie! Well, it's longer than the one in the movie, and it doesn't have ruffles—"

"Can you please stop comparing yourself to a hooker?" he called from beyond her closed bedroom door, gritting his teeth as "Pretty Woman" got stuck in his head.

Oliver should've made her change at the club.

He leaned against the wall by the door in her all-too-familiar apartment, impatiently waiting for her to get dressed. This place held very potent, specific memories, and trying to ignore them was like swatting at flies.

They had eaten breakfast together, right over there in the kitchen. He remembered thinking how great it would be to sleep over again. And again and again and again. That was before he realized how much danger he'd put her in by being with her.

"Hey, Oliver?" Felicity called from behind her bedroom door.

"Yeah?" he replied, shaken from his reverie.

"You know that joke you made a few days ago? That blonde joke? The one about Guantanamo Bay? I was wondering…"

"About what?"

"Um…" He could hear her zipping up her dress. Oliver had been very adamant about the personal shopper getting her something she could zip herself; he really didn't need that kind of temptation. "It occurred to me later that, well, it's kind of weird that you didn't already know I'm not a natural blonde. At first I thought you hadn't noticed when… Um, you know… But later I realized that how could you _not_ notice? I mean you didn't say anything at the time so…"

Yes, it was a _very _good question. He had noticed, but never cared enough to mention it; there were other parts of her that he had been more preoccupied with. Oliver blushed, surprised she would bring up their time together. "Natural or not, you're still blonde."

"Ah,"

Though she stayed mercifully silent, Oliver was getting more uncomfortable. More and more memories were being triggered, and every one of them made him more and more aware of how alone they were in the apartment. Well, there was Paperweight, but he was just a tortoise and didn't count. It was just Oliver and Felicity, and the thought made him feverish. Oliver, not the tortoise.

All that separated them was the bedroom door; that awful, wonderful bedroom door. Oliver could just walk right in and grab her. He could kiss her and touch her and make her moan like he used to, all while pulling up the skirt of her dress so he could—

_I need to get out of here. _

"Are you almost done?" he asked irritably, glancing at the thankfully closed bedroom door.

"You ready?" Oliver asked as they walked out of the alleyway.

"Think so," Felicity replied nervously. "Just to be clear, the plan is for me to get caught counting cards in an underground casino filled with hardened criminals."

"So you can get a friendly warning from Alonso and plant a bug on his office computer."

"Right, which will hopefully lead us to Walter."

Oliver nodded, protectively placing his hand on her back as they got closer to the casino.

"That is assuming I get the friendly warning and not a bullet," she added, stopping and turning to face him.

Oliver was enough of a nervous wreck without her saying that. "Hey, you don't have to do this,"

"Yes, I do."

"Okay," he said, slightly annoyed. "If anything happens, I'm right outside."

Felicity looked around the casino, telling herself she had nothing to worry about. It was a simple plan, and everything would be fine, right? Right.

"What do you see?" Felicity heard through the earpiece.

"Six armed guards, two pit bosses, and a floor man." She walked around, trying to act casual. "And no slot machines. I mean, how can you call yourself a casino without any Lucky Sevens?"

"Stay focused, please." Oliver said. "I'll be with you the entire time."

"Thanks." That's exactly what she needed to hear. She felt very alone in the casino, surrounded by people who wouldn't have a problem killing her. She sighed, feeling slightly more relaxed. "It feels really good having you inside me." Wow, that brought back memories. "And by you I mean your voice," The dirty talk was so much fun… "And by me I mean my ear."… Especially when he growled right by her ear… "I'm going to stop talking. Right now."

"That would be my preference." Being in her apartment had been bad enough; he really didn't need to hear say stuff like that.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity walked over to the blackjack table and handed the dealer a stack of cash from her purse.

The game went as expected; it may have been a while since she counted cards, but she hadn't lost her touch. Her heart was in her throat when the dealer drew for final time. An ace of spades… a queen of hearts…

"Blackjack!" the dealer announced.

Felicity giggled like a dumb blonde who got lucky, clapping her hands in excitement. She picked up her glass of wine, ready to drink from it like a victorious girl would. A sip wasn't going to hurt anything. Well, any_one_…

"Miss?" A somewhat intimidating man approached her. He was one of the guards. Felicity set down her wine, thankful she didn't have to drink it; the notion had made her uncomfortable.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Get up." The guard wasn't playing around.

"Well, since you asked so nicely,"

Felicity was escorted to the manager's office, the guard firmly gripping her arm.

"Oh, look, there's the bathroom," she casually mentioned. "I should've known the manager's office would be down the hall and to the right of the bathroom."

"Mr. Alonso," the guard said, getting his boss's attention. Alonso hung up the phone as Felicity was nudged into the room.

"Have a seat,"

She obeyed, hoping for just a friendly warning.

"What's your name?"

"Megan," she responded, surreptitiously taking out the bug and activating it.

"Do you know where the term 'eighty-sixed' comes from, Megan?"

"Yes, it happens I do. It's from prohibition," she answered, her voice steady and her heart pounding. "There was, uh, an illegal casino—NOT like this one—located at, uh, 86 Bedford Street in New York, and…Ah, you know I'm just going to stop talking." she stammered as she sneakily attached the bug to the back of the CPU.

"And now it means to ban someone. Someone who's cheating. You're eighty-sixed. Leave your chips and go."

Oh, thank God. She wasn't going to be killed.

"Thank you," _See, Baby Hood? Everything's cool_. "Thank you." she said, before rising to leave.

"Oh, and Megan, one more thing," Alonso added. Dammit. So close. A guard stepped in front of her and pulled out a device and waved it by her ears. It beeped. "You see, the thing about card counters is, uh, that sometimes they work…" Alonso pulled the piece from her ear. "…with a partner." And with that ominous statement, he crushed it under his heel.

Uh-oh. Oliver was going to be _pissed_. "You're going to be really upset when you meet my partner."

The casino manager smirked. "Point him out to me, and I might go easy on you."

"He's not in the casino," she replied, knowing it didn't help her to say she was working alone. Felicity held her clutch purse in front of her stomach, trying to calm her nerves. "But I assure you he soon will be."

"Really? Well, let's wait for him, then."

Felicity sat back down and fidgeted with her gold cuff bracelet. Hopefully the only thing getting killed tonight was time. Although she actually didn't mind if Alonso and his men got killed as well…

"So, do you wanna play darts while we wait, or…?" she suggested, gesturing to the dart board.

"What's this partner of yours look like, Blondie?" barked Alonso.

"Oh, he won't be that hard to spot." She absentmindedly swept her hair out of her face. "He likes to make an entrance."

"Which means what, exactly?"

_Bang! Bang bang! _Suddenly there was a commotion out in the casino; things breaking, people shouting, guns going off…

_Don't worry, Baby Hood; Daddy's got this. _"Sounds like my partner's here."

Alonso gave her a dark, slightly frightened look.

"You really should've just let me go." she added.

"Who the hell is he?" the manager snarled.

The casino got quiet; the intruder had gotten past all the security. So much for the casino's private army.

"The Hood," She couldn't help smiling at the terrified look on Alonso's face. He yanked her out of the chair by her arm and pulled her behind the desk. Then he opened a drawer and took out a gun.

"Oh, crap," Felicity whimpered.

"Something tells me he doesn't want you to get hurt," he said, putting the gun to her head seconds before the door burst open. The Hood fired an arrow, accidentally hitting the center of the dart board to the right of Alonso's head.

"I heard you never miss," mocked Alonso.

"I don't."

The arrow blew up, sending Alonso and Felicity falling to the floor. She crouched behind the desk, trying to breathe. _I'm so sorry, baby. We're okay now._

She watched as the Hood picked up Alonso and smashed him against the wall.

"Where's Walter Steele?" he demanded in his deep, scary Hood voice.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Six months ago you had him kidnapped!" he roared.

"It was just a job," replied Alonso. Felicity stood, realizing they were seconds away from knowing Walter's location. "I was given a name; I didn't ask any questions."

The Hood tightened his grip. "Last chance. Where is he?"

"Below ground."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not. I delivered him, and they killed him."

_No, _Felicity thought. _No, he can't…_

"I heard the gun shot. He's dead."

The Hood stepped back and knocked Alonso out with a punch. Lowering his hood, he turned to face Felicity. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them sure what to say. Felicity started sobbing.

"Come on," Oliver said, and Felicity took his hand and let him lead her out.

Felicity was having trouble computing. Not literally computing—her tech skills were just fine—but _dude_… There was only so much craziness she could process at one time. She thought Walter was dead, but he's actually alive. And the bad guy who took him? Malcolm Merlin. Tommy's dad. Seriously.

Oliver was in Bludhaven, right now, getting Walter back. That was the easiest to digest. Oliver was kicking ass. It was like calling the sky blue or the ocean wet. Oliver beating the tar out of people made sense, but coming back from grieving for a guy she thought was dead _and _knowing that Tommy's dad was in on the villainy was harder to swallow.

Finally, she got a call.

"Is he okay?" she blurted as soon as she answered.

"He's fine, Felicity," he said, sounding emotionally drained. "You can go home, now."

May 5

It was way too much. Just… everything. Being at odds with Diggle was hard, then came all the alone time with Felicity, which was dangerously difficult to handle. He thought finding out Walter was dead would be the final thing to deal with this week, but then it got worse. His mother had been so weird when he told her Walter was dead, so he followed her. Apparently: Walter wasn't dead; Tommy's dad was holding him hostage; his mother _knew_ Mr. Merlyn had Walter. Also, his mother and Malcolm were conspirators in the Undertaking.

Then he had to pretend to know none of that when he was at the hospital. He had to pretend that all the worrying was over, because Walter was back. Never mind that his mother had been the reason for his kidnapping. All this emotional crap led to a potentially deadly slipup; he introduced Felicity as his friend. Why did he do that? His mother was in the room! Something told him it wasn't safe for her to know about Felicity. Or for any of them to know, actually. He'd never introduced her to his family and friends for a reason; she was privy to his secret and more a part of his vigilante life than anyone else. It felt precarious for anyone to know about her. Yet she'd met Laurel _and_ his family in the past two days. So much for keeping her safely tucked away.

But the pain wasn't over yet. Malcolm was in the hallway when Oliver exited Walter's room at the hospital. He had to look him in the eye and act like he didn't know a thing. He had to contain all that rage, and when the encounter was over he even felt fatigued.

And he still couldn't catch a break! Laurel was there to see how Walter was doing, and they accidently started talking about her and Tommy. Big mistake. She said Tommy was convinced she belonged with Oliver, that he was still in love with her. He almost denied it, but then remembered how sure Tommy was about Laurel choosing him if she knew he was the Hood. That's why he broke up with her. No matter what Oliver told Laurel, Tommy wouldn't change his mind about that. And it was true, wasn't it? Well, so was Oliver being in love Laurel. And she was a better fit for him, wasn't she? She could handle herself better than Felicity, and he didn't worry about her the way he worried about his I.T. girl. So, fuck it, he decided to plant a seed. He told her he couldn't tell Tommy he wasn't still in love with Laurel because it wouldn't be true. He had enough lies in his life, and that was even truer.

Then he left to apologize to Diggle, because it was the easiest fucking thing he could fix.


	11. Animal

**So we're clear, Oliver and Felicity will be together by the end of this story; I don't care what holes I have to tear in the Arrow universe to make it happen. But I can't make anything major happen right now. They've got bigger crap to deal with, to be honest. It's like when Laurel showed up and popped that whole "feelings" thing on him. He had enough going on already and that should've waited. Same principle here. Olicity will get sorted out after the finale. Until then, enjoy the exquisite pain of them secretly pining for one another. The way I've got things planned, all their yearning is going to pay off big time in a later chapter. C:**

* * *

"Good Morning,"

Groggy, Oliver rolled over and smiled sleepily at his girlfriend. She pushed her messy blonde curls away from her face and lazily reached for her glasses on the nightstand.

"You hungry?" he asked, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer.

She grinned and threw a leg over his hip then straddled him. The contact was a pleasant reminder that she was wearing nothing but his t-shirt. His hands gently rubbed her thighs as he awaited her answer.

"That depends," she answered, leaning forward slightly and placing her hands on his chest. "Can we go _out_ to eat?"

"We have plenty to eat here,"

Felicity blew a strand of hair out of her face then tucked it behind her ear. "You haven't let me out of the house since I got here. Don't think I haven't noticed."

He rolled his eyes. "It's a mansion, Felicity; I find it hard to believe that you can have cabin fever already."

"It's been four days."

"I want you safe. I don't see what the big deal is."

She shook her head. "You're just waiting for me to get Stockholm syndrome so I'll shut up about it."

"And I've been very patient so far," he said with a smirk.

"We're Belle and the Beast."

"No, we're not."

"I'm your Belle and you're my Beast and you won't let me leave your enchanted castle."

Oliver sighed. "I'm just being protective."

"Is the furniture going to start talking soon?"

"Felicity—"

"_Tale as old as time…"_ she began to sing.

"Hey, knock it off." Oliver cajoled.

"_True as it can be…"_

"Stop comparing us to _Beauty and the Beast."_

"_Barely even friends… Then somebody bends… Unexpectedly_."

"You're going to be bending unexpectedly if you don't cut it out." he said with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah?" Felicity brushed her lips against his. "Bite me, Beast."

Oliver gave her a convincing growl that made her giggle before playfully nipping at her neck. He continued by sucking at a spot on her neck, holding her to him as she teasingly resisted. Oliver sank his fingertips into the back of her upper thighs, his desire growing as he listened to her rapid breathing. His sucking turned to gnawing and she told him to stop, but he ignored her. His nails raked across her skin as his hands moved under her borrowed shirt, pinning her closer to him.

"Oliver, please," Her voice was a frightened whimper that brought him a degree of clarity, but he couldn't stop. He flipped over and trapped her beneath him, pinioning her hands above her. Her neck was getting red where he was biting her.

"You're hurting me!"

But he couldn't control himself; he only bit harder. Oliver wanted desperately to stop, yet a part of him was compelled to hear her scream, to make her bleed. One hand held down her arms at the wrists while the other scraped long bloody lines into her flesh. She cried out in pain but he only dug deeper. Tears pricked his eyes at the horror of what he was doing. A sob escaped his throat as he bit down and broke her skin, the rusty taste of blood filling his mouth—

Oliver woke with a start, breathing heavily and soaked with sweat. His hands shook as he reached up to wipe away his tears. After a moment, he peeled the drenched sheets from his skin and sat up, hugging his legs and resting his head on his knees.

He hated that nightmare. It was worse than dreaming of Felicity being killed by the Dark Archer or the Count. Oliver preferred to tell himself that he only wanted to protect her from the danger of his job, from the criminals seeking to take down the Hood… but sometimes his subconscious felt the need to remind him of an even greater fear.

Oliver had never been a good person; not before the island and definitely not now. Before the island, he was a spoiled, spineless, selfish prick. Now he was a broken, bloodthirsty beast that killed people. There was a lot of blood on his hands, and that damn'd spot was never coming out. And the scariest part was that it didn't bother him. These people didn't haunt his dreams or heap guilt on his conscience; they should've, they were supposed to, but they didn't. That wasn't how a normal person was meant to function.

Felicity deserved someone better than a borderline-sociopath. She was untouched by personal horror and trauma. She was a light that made him all too aware of his darkness. She made him more aware of how he should be, but wasn't. He was afraid that if he got too close to her, she would end up with stains on her soul as well. There was also the high probability of bloodstains, which scared him even more. Half the time he felt like Carnage Incarnate, created to kill. Whether it was her witnessing that or accidentally becoming a casualty, the prospect of corruption seemed likely. Being around him could ruin her, and being with him could be even worse.

May 6

Felicity told herself it was like the five-part series finale of _Torchwood_. Gwen Cooper was three weeks pregnant when the aliens came to earth to take human children so they could use their hormones for drugs. Gwen could've run away to somewhere safe; the aliens wouldn't have come after her. She could've left everything to her teammates for the sake of protecting her unborn child. But did she do that? No! There were too many lives at risk! She was needed! She wasn't fool enough to believe running and hiding was selfless. Gwen had shit to do, and so did Felicity.

The stairs clanged dully as the archer's nerd descended into the basement. She was greeted by the sounds of shirtless Oliver and Diggle training with those short little sticks that hurt like hell. As she took her seat, she noticed the lair got quiet. Felicity looked up and her eyes met Oliver's.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. For some reason he seemed angry.

Felicity adjusted her glasses. "Um… what I always do."

"We found Walter."

"Yes, we did."

"So why did you come back?" Oliver stepped closer. "We had a deal."

She gave him a weak smile. "As if I could leave you now. I'll leave once you guys stop needing me so much."

"I don't need you." he said firmly.

For a brief moment, her face revealed her dejection. Then she blinked and swallowed. "But I've been—"

"In danger too many times. There's no room for a damsel in distress on the team."

Felicity refused to cry or yell at him. "Diggle's been teaching me self-defense."

"You're not learning fast enough." His jaw was clenched. "Now do everyone a favor and go back to your boring life."

Felicity glanced at Diggle, who was glaring at the back of Oliver's head.

"Oliver—" Diggle began admonishingly, but Felicity interrupted him.

"Alright," Her friend looked at her in confusion, and she gave him a reassuring smile. "If you really think I'd get in the way, then I should go." She knew this was bullshit—She was clearly their Hermione—but maybe it was better not to push. Felicity did need to get away, and he was conveniently insisting she leave. If he was so resolute, then it was best to seize the opportunity. And should he come to his senses later, she would happily come back and do her best not to say she told him so.

Diggle watched incredulously as she calmly gathered her things. The second the door shut behind her, Oliver turned to resume his training with Diggle.

_WHACK!_ His bodyguard surprised with him with a merciless blow to the shoulder. That godawful stick left a pink impression above an already forming bruise as Oliver winced and staggered back.

"The hell is wrong with you, Oliver?" Diggle demanded. "You know we need her help!"

Oliver pursed his lips. "She's a liability. I—" Diggle swung at him again, and Oliver blocked it. "I have enough problems as it is." he finished loudly.

"And your biggest problem is that you're a dumbass."

They started circling like two rival predators ready to attack. Each dropped their training weapons, knowing things could get bloody otherwise.

"Things are getting too dangerous, Dig."

"Which is why we need her."

"I need her to be one less thing to worry about."

"She's not helpless, Oliver!" Diggle shouted. "Felicity's proven she can handle this! She's kept her cool under pressure. She's suffered through your tantrums and endured your yelling. How many times has she spent the night in the lair, taking naps on the training mats and at her desk so she could get what you need? And she was there for you when even I wasn't! And have you forgotten that she saved your life? Do not talk about her like she's useless!"

"I never said she was useless!"

"You've done nothing but hurt her! I warned you not to get involved with her and then you go and break her damn heart! Since then all you do is bark orders at her and act like what you had with her never happened. And she _still_ doesn't hate you. Because she _gets _you. She knows you're all kinds of messed up inside and she doesn't resent you for not functioning like a normal human being. Do you not see that? Why the hell are you pushing her away? Why don't you love—"

"She deserves better than a monster like me!" Oliver roared angrily, his eyes wet.

The two stopped circling. Diggle hadn't seen him this emotional before. He looked like he was either about to cry or murder someone.

Well, shit. He did love her.

"You really have been trying to protect her this whole time." he said, remembering his conversation with Felicity a while back.

Oliver sighed and suddenly looked exhausted. "I'll just end up ruining her."

"Or maybe she could be good for you."

"I just want her to be safe." Oliver shook his head. "If you tell her about any of this—"

"I won't. It's not my place." Diggle walked over to the desk to get Oliver's cell phone. "Frankly, we have more important crap to deal with right now. And whether you're comfortable with it or not, we need her. Now get her on the phone and bring her back."

Oliver reluctantly took his cell phone. "Diggle—"

"Get her on the damn phone."

The emotionally maladjusted archer scowled as he found her number and held the phone to his ear.

"It went to voicemail."

"Then leave a message."

"Felicity, get back here." Oliver commanded. Diggle smacked his arm. "I'm…sorry… for what I said. You're not a damsel in distress. I've just been worried you'll get hurt."

"Tell her she's a valuable member of the team." Diggle whispered.

"No," Oliver mouthed.

"Dammit, Oliver," he mumbled. "I will kick your ass."

"You're a valuable member of the team." Oliver said into the phone as he turned away from Diggle. "Now get back here, you have work to do." Oliver hung up the phone. "That's great. You've probably just led her to her death."

"Oliver, stop giving yourself an ulcer."

"If anything happens to her—"

"Hey," Diggle took the phone back and set it on the desk. "We can protect her, remember? She's got both of us looking out for her."

"What if that isn't enough?"

"It will be,"

Oliver bent down and picked up his training sticks to put them away.

"Just be nicer to her, okay? Being a dick isn't helping anything."

The archer rolled his eyes. "Okay,"

An hour later, Felicity was descending the stairs again.

"That was faster than I thought," she said as she set her purse under the desk.

"Diggle made a convincing argument." replied Oliver, only offering her a glance.

She smirked at Diggle as he leaned on the desk beside her. "You hit him with a stick, didn't you?" she asked quietly. He nodded in response. "I guess violence does have its virtues."

"Felicity, I need you and Diggle to start surveillance on my mother." His teammates turned to look at him. "Track everything she does. We need to know if she does anything else concerning the Undertaking."

And with that, business went on as usual.

May 11

He had a feeling his moment of weakness would come back to haunt him.

Oliver had been an emotional wreck when Laurel had told him to talk to Tommy again. He had seized the opportunity to get her back, even though it was clear she was better with Tommy. But after he sobered up and got his head on straight, he realized what a terrible move that had been. Messing up their relationship would only make things worse. He regretted what he had said and hoped Tommy would come to his senses.

Days later, Laurel told Oliver that she still had feelings for him. Nothing's changed, he said, and it was true. More importantly, _he_ hadn't changed. They still had a messy past and Tommy was still better for her. Oliver tried to fix things—he really did—but Tommy refused to be a "consolation prize." That little bastard was just afraid, wasn't he? Afraid of being overshadowed and afraid of commitment. Fine. Oliver had said what he had come to say, and there wasn't much else he could do.

There was something about not being able to save Felicity that really shook him. Yes, Diggle had saved her, but what about the next time, or the time after that? One of these days her life would be on the line, and he won't get there in time.

It was one more thing on the pile of problems that had been building lately. Everything with his family and the Undertaking and the Merlyns and Felicity… he needed an escape.

That's why he ran to Laurel. She wanted him, and he needed her. Laurel had been his safe place on the island; she was where his mind would wander when things were falling down around him. She was his first love and a source of comfort. If Tommy refused to be with her, then why couldn't Oliver have her? They were happy together once, and they could be again, right?

He lied through his teeth when he said she knew him better than anyone. What he said was really meant for Felicity. Laurel barely knew him at all, actually. But it was better that way, it was better for her to stay in the dark, even if that meant wearing a mask around her. He didn't want her to see what he was. It would be easier to hide the monster from her.

* * *

**Oliver's song: "Little Lion Man" by Mumford & Sons**


	12. Use Somebody

May 12th

The police knew.

Being interrogated by the detective was scarier than anything she'd ever done for the Hood; the officer knew who she was, where she worked, and had a pile of evidence linking her to the vigilante. The fact that neither Oliver nor Diggle was with her made her feel even more vulnerable.

She had no idea how she was going to answer Detective Lance. He'd sat there staring at her, knowing he had the vigilante's accomplice in custody. Felicity had gaped at him like a fish, searching for words. But the interrogation was cut short.

"Saved by the bell," The detective had answered his phone; it was the Hood, and he had terrible news. Suddenly she wasn't such a priority any more. Still, he warned her not to leave town.

Now Felicity was leaning against the sink in the ladies' room at Verdant, trying not to cry too hard. Her hopes were crumbling, just like the Glades might be soon. There had never been any connection before; no one would've guessed she knew the vigilante (except Ronnie, but that was different). After everything, after she'd done her part to help the Hood, she'd planned to run off and have her baby. No one would need to know. She was going to call it a much-needed vacation, and who would stop her? Oliver and Diggle knew what she'd gone through for the team, and they were really the only ones that mattered. She had quite a few vacation days she hadn't used, and she thought she could plead with Mrs. Queen for a secret maternity leave.

It couldn't happen now. Lance wasn't going to let her leave the city, and after the Undertaking was dealt with, he was going to use her to get to the Hood. And all the while her belly would grow… And she'd be done for. God forbid if anyone figured out who the father was.

Also, Oliver's best friend's dad was going to level the Glades with a device they couldn't seem to find. Felicity was still struggling with the decision to stay and help, despite her _Torchwood_ pep talk. What if they failed, and she didn't make it out? What if it didn't matter, because the stress of this work was threatening to make her miscarry anyway? The worrying, the late nights, the near-death experiences… She was doing what she could, but there was no guarantee.

But there was a ray of hope: she was now fourteen weeks pregnant, officially into her second trimester. The most perilous trimester was over, and she and Baby Hood had made it through.

But what if it was about to end soon? She sniffled at the thought and put her hand over her mouth; she was alone in the bathroom, but she still didn't want to risk Diggle hearing her cry.

Felicity was giving up so much for her baby. If she ended up losing it… Sacrificing the safety of thousands for the sake of her baby was horrible, but the reverse felt just as bad. She was a mom now; moms protect their children. What if she couldn't protect her baby? What if she miscarried, and if was all her fault?

A sob escaped her throat, and she sank to the hard tiled floor. _Baby Hood, I'm so sorry… I love you, I promise I love you, but those people are in danger and I can't… There's no one else. If there was someone who could take my place, I'd leave. I'd keep you safe. I want to keep you safe, baby. Mommy loves you so much… _Tears began to flow, and she squeezed her eyes shut in hopes of stopping them. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. She hugged her legs as she began to shake. As the fear seeped in and gripped her tightly, her thoughts turned to someone else, someone she hadn't spoken to since she was a little girl. _Adonai, not my baby, please… Please don't take my baby… Kill me if you want, just keep my baby safe, please… please…_

"Felicity?" Diggle said, knocking on the door. She had seemed pretty shaken after coming back from the police station, and Diggle knew she'd gone into the bathroom to cry. She'd been cornered by the police, all alone, and their amount of evidence was a problem. So he had given her some time alone, but it had been a while and now he was worried. She needed to compose herself so they could find the device.

"I'm fine," she answered with a trembling voice.

"Do we need to talk?"

A few seconds later, she opened the door and trotted out purposefully, avoiding eye contact as she headed downstairs. "The device is obviously underground, but I still don't get how the plan is even plausible." Diggle trailed after her, concerned. "Starling City doesn't _get_ earthquakes, so how is it even a good plan? Merlyn can't be that dumb. He knows something we don't."

"Are you okay?"

She gave him a quick glance before seating herself in front of her monitors. "I said I was fine. Earthquakes happen along fault lines. So I was thinking he'd need to put it on one of those to make it look real. But that's crazy, right? He'd need to find just the right spot, so it hit all of the Glades and no other part of the city. So at first I thought he wasn't using a fault line, but now I'm thinking that his knowledge of the right spot was what led him to his plan. I'll pull up geological surveys of Starling City and work from there."

"Felicity," he said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're trying to be strong, but I want you to tell me when something's bothering you."

She kept typing. "I don't see what good it would do."

"No one would blame you for being scared."

She only pursed her lips in response, choosing to focus on the geological survey she just found.

"Maybe you should leave once you've figured out where it is. Take your tortoise and head to your parents' house."

Felicity closed her eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath. "And which of you will understand how to disarm it? And can either of you even read the blueprints?"

"Neither of us wants you in harm's way. We've put you through enough."

"It makes no difference." She turned to look at him. "I still need to be here. Do you think I _want_ to be here? Do you think I want to risk getting buried under tons of rubble? It doesn't matter what I want, and it doesn't matter want you two want, either. There are thousands of people relying on us and it's our job to save them." Her voice had grown thick on the last sentence, and tears were running down her cheeks before she could stop them. Diggle pulled her into a hug.

"It'll be okay, Felicity," he said consolingly. "We'll stop Merlyn."

"A part of me wants to run away," she admits, her head on his chest.

"Good; that means you're sane."

She laughed in a way that sounded more like a sob.

"Oliver's going to want you out of here." He held her at arm's length to look her in the eye. "As soon as he thinks he can convince you you've done enough. If you want to stay, you have to show him you can handle this."

Felicity rubbed the tears off her face with the sleeves of her cardigan. "Don't let him see me cry?"

"Exactly,"

She gave him a smile to show him her confidence was somewhat renewed. "Thanks, Dig,"

_Breathe…_

Her heart was racing, and she fought to calm it down. She wasn't going to die. Not yet, anyway.

But for a minute she thought she was. Lance had disabled the device. The day was saved, the evil plot thwarted. But Merlyn was too smart; he had a backup plan, a second device.

The basement had shaken, dust had fallen from cracks in the ceiling, wires had torn loose and sparked. In that brief, brutal moment, she thought she was going to die. But the building hadn't collapsed; the second device was not in as a good a location. She was going to live. Her baby was going to live.

Not everyone was so lucky. Those on the East Side were losing their homes, their jobs, their friends, their families, their lives. Their worlds were crashing down around them, their neighborhoods were turning into hell, and Felicity was safe in the basement.

She thanked HaShem for his protection (whether he was actually real or not) and then the survivor's guilt began to gnaw at her. It didn't seem fair, all those people…

_Breathe…_

They hadn't saved everyone, but half the Glades was still standing. They had made a difference, she told herself over and over. _No need to feel guilty for surviving. You risked your life you save these people. And it isn't just you who's been spared._

She absentmindedly patted her stomach as she took another calming breath. Yes, it wasn't just her.

Felicity jumped at the sound of the door opening. Oliver and Diggle came shuffling through the back door, and she rushed over to help.

"You haven't talked to me in almost two hours!" she said as she reached them. Diggle had a stab wound in his thigh and his chest, and Oliver gestured for her to take him. Oliver looked like his soul had been drained out of him.

"How's Laurel?" Felicity asked quietly as she helped Diggle to her chair.

"Safe," Oliver answered, his voice hoarse.

Diggle exhaled as he sank into the chair, thankful to be off his feet. "Oliver has a hole through his shoulder. Patch him up first."

Felicity drew closer to her wounded green archer, expecting him to tell her no, but he was zombified and unresisting. He sat on a stool and allowed her to take off his jacket and t-shirt. It was a sad, strange reminder of their time together a few months ago.

"Did Merlyn put an arrow through you?" she said as she carefully cleaned the wound in his shoulder.

"He did it to himself," Diggle answered. "He stabbed Merlyn by stabbing himself first."

"My brave idiot," she muttered with a ghost of a smile as she stitched his wound.

Oliver placed his hand over hers. "I'm not the one who was underground in the Glades tonight."

Felicity froze, surprised by his tone. He wasn't angry, he was…sad. She didn't know he could be _just_ sad. There was always a little anger mixed in. "I'm okay," she replied quietly.

He dropped his hand and allowed her to continue. When she was half-way through stitching the wound on his back, he spoke again.

"I failed."

Felicity glanced at Diggle, and they shared a look of empathy.

"You still saved some people." Felicity offered.

"But not everyone," Oliver's voice broke, and the sound made Felicity want to cry.

"We did what we could." Diggle said.

"And it wasn't enough," Oliver fixed Diggle with a challenging gaze, and Felicity wondered what else he meant.

Oliver insisted on taking her back to her apartment, and neither Diggle nor Felicity dared argue with him. They piled in her car and braved the streets, which were relatively clear by the time they left. Sirens sounded everywhere and shop windows were smashed, but people were now holding up in their houses and other buildings, fearing the pandemonium past Wall Street. They were thankful the route to her house didn't go through the East Side.

The Hood waltzed right into her apartment building, supporting his injured friend. The three of them would've been a strange sight, if there was anyone to see them.

Stepping into her apartment felt surreal. For a moment, everything felt normal. But reality still raged outside.

"Diggle will spend the night here," Oliver said as he walked Diggle to the couch. Felicity had no problem with that—he could hardly walk—but she did object to the Hood going back out into that madness. She followed Oliver into her room, knowing he planned to use her fire escape.

"Don't," she begged, grabbing for his arm. "You're hurt."

The Hood turned and gently removed her hand. "There's more for me to do."

"You're going to pop your stitches—"

Oliver leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Please be careful," he whispered in her ear as he hugged her.

That manipulative bastard. Her eyes watered at the memory his act provoked, the reminiscence bittersweet in the current situation. "_You_ be careful," she responded, embracing him tightly.

She hugged herself as she watched him climb out the window and disappear into the night.

It was 10:38 when her parents called.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" her mother fretted as Felicity tended to Paperweight. "Your father said you didn't live too close to the Glades, and anyway people were warned and the police could handle it—Oh, sweetie, we saw the footage on the news! All those buildings went down! Are you safe? Oh, I knew you shouldn't have moved to Starling City! You should've stayed in Mapleville with us. Nothing ever happens in Mapleville. Though I suppose there was that one time way back—"

"Mom—"

"I bet you wouldn't have been in Starling City tonight if you were still dating Ed. And don't get me started on that! I still don't understand why—He's in Pittsburgh right now, all the way in Pittsburgh! That sweet dear is looking after his grandma. Poor thing's in the hospital with pneumonia! Betty told me. She'd make a great mother-in-law, just saying."

"Mom—"

"Ronnie's with him, too. Didn't you get along with him? You could've been with them in Pittsburgh tonight, far away from that whole mess—Goodness, dear, I'm just so worried. I knew you shouldn't have moved there, I knew—Asher! Asher, come talk some sense into our baby girl. I need to sit down before I have a heart attack."

The phone changed hands, and her father greeted her. "Hello, Flick,"

His voice was calm and soothing, exactly what she needed. "Hey, Dad,"

"Are you safe there?"

"I'm not that close to the Glades."

"That's good to hear. Your mother and I would like you to come stay with us for a while, if you can do that. Whenever you're able to leave the city. Bad people take advantage of chaos, sweetheart. It'll be dangerous until they sort that whole mess out."

"That'd be great. I'll leave when I can." she fibbed, knowing Detective Lance probably wouldn't allow it in spite of everything.

"Love you, Flick."

"Love you, Dad."

As she walked back into the living room to sit next to Diggle, something occurred to her. "Have you talked to Carly?"

Diggle threw his good arm over her shoulder as she sat down. "While I was waiting for Oliver to come get me at Merlyn Global."

She rested her head on his chest, ready to pass out. "Shouldn't you be with her instead?"

"Carly left after seeing Mrs. Queen on the news. She and my nephew are at her aunt's house in Seattle."

"Good," she mumbled, already drifting off.

The pain from his injuries woke Diggle at 11:43, a dull ache threatening to grow into throbbing agony. He carefully let Felicity's head fall to the couch cushion before limping to her bathroom in search of aspirin. On the way, he saw the body pillow on her bed and decided she needed it, as much as the effort hurt. Barely conscious, Felicity sighed as she curled up with the pillow, wrapping her limbs around it as she adjusted it under her head.

Diggle was happy to see she could sleep; she'd had none the night before, and he'd expected her to waste the night wringing her hands and crying.

He let out a sigh of relief as he opened the medicine cabinet and immediately spotted the ibuprofen. As he swallowed two pills, his eyes scanned the contents of the cabinet, wondering if he'd get lucky and spot something else useful.

What was folic acid again? It sounded familiar. He was pretty sure it was a vitamin. Next to that was a bottle with its label turned away from him. As he spun it around, his eyes grew wide.

He knew it. He fucking _knew _it! And _she_ knew, too! And she hadn't told him! All this time, and she's kept it to herself. That sneaky girl. That sneaky pregnant girl with her prenatal vitamins—

She should've left the city. Actually she shouldn't have, because she needed to disarm the device, but she should've left. If Diggle had known, he would've forced her to leave. And if _Oliver_ knew… No wonder she didn't tell them. They would've sent her to Canada. Maybe they should. Maybe they should send her to safe, snowy Canada with its moose and maple syrup—

And maybe Diggle shouldn't be dealing with this while half-conscious and fuzzy with pain. He couldn't focus or think clearly, and he could be dreaming, anyway. _Yeah, it's just a dream. She can't really be pregnant._

Diggle dragged himself out of the bathroom, his body aching and begging for more sleep. He collapsed on her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning Diggle woke, sharp and in need of more pain killers. He shuffled across the floor to the bathroom, remembering his supposed dream. After quickly peeking into the living room to check that Felicity was still asleep, he opened the cabinet.

"Aw, dammit." he mumbled, seeing the very real bottle of prenatal vitamins. He continued to stare at it as he downed another dose of ibuprofen. She's been pregnant this whole time. Last night, he couldn't blame her for keeping it a secret, but now…

Bleary-eyed, Felicity reached for her glasses on the coffee table. When she put them on, she blinked a few times and Diggle came into focus.

He didn't look happy.

"Hey, Dig," she said reluctantly, rubbing her eye. "Could you turn on the news, please?"

He sat on the coffee table, fidgeting with something in his massive hands. Whatever it was gave a muffled rattle, like pills in a bottle.

"Can you not open the ibuprofen?"

His jaw tensing, he placed the bottle in front of her. Her heart jumped into her throat as she read the label.

"Oh, crap."

"There something you want to tell me?" he asked.

"Not really."

"When have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

They heard a knock on her door before she could answer. With one last apologetic glance at Diggle, she went to see who it was.

Oliver. Of course it was Oliver. "Just a minute," she called before looking at Diggle, silently begging him not to tell. He rolled his eyes and shoved the bottle under the couch.

He looked as lifeless as he had last night as he entered the apartment. "I should get Diggle out of here," Oliver looked at her as he said it. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

She nodded, and Oliver planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "Lock up after we leave."

Diggle hobbled over to her on his way out. "Don't do anything stupid." he said as he hugged her. "I'll talk to you later." She swallowed nervously at that, knowing she had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

"**Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley**


	13. Wise Men Say

Diggle called Felicity that night, just as the sun was setting on the smoking ruins that questioned the team's victory. His anger had subsided by then, and understanding and worry were all that was left.

She told him everything, or at least it seemed she did. Now he knew the real reason why she broke up with Ed. A part of him thought she should've taken the man's offer, but he kept that to himself. His stomach churned uneasily when he remembered all the times she'd been in danger since Valentine's Day, and prayed she planned to stay out of trouble in the future.

He shared with her as well. His wounds were no worse than they were, and Oliver had finally decided to rest. Thea and her boyfriend Roy were safe at the mansion, and while Oliver was uncomfortable with his sister and her boyfriend living under the same roof, he couldn't object. Moira was still in jail, but it was likely she'd be home soon. Walter had left the city after filing for divorce and before the Undertaking, according to Thea. Laurel really was okay and staying with her father.

He spared her the heartache of knowing Oliver was dating Laurel again. When Diggle found out, it took him all his self-control not to scream at Oliver, considering their conversation about Felicity not too long ago. McKenna had been one thing, but this was Laurel, and Felicity would only see their reconciliation as proof that she would never get Oliver back. Diggle understood that Oliver ran to Laurel for comfort and in hopes of maintaining distance from Felicity, and that's what helped him hold his tongue; that, and because it would be a terrible time for Oliver to break up with Laurel.

Diggle saved the news about Tommy for last. Felicity had never met Tommy which probably made it easier to hear, but she was aware of his relationship with Oliver.

After all that, he ventured to ask when she would tell Oliver. She sighed and said it seemed he had enough to deal with. Diggle couldn't argue with that, but he insisted she had to tell him soon.

By the time they said their goodbyes, she sounded bone-weary. Diggle hung up and turned to catch Roy standing by the doorway of his bedroom. His guilty expression suggested he'd been eavesdropping.

"Sorry," he said. "I was just walking by and… Um, I didn't mean to listen in."

Diggle only raised an eyebrow. He had nothing against Roy; he seemed like a nice kid, at least better adjusted than Oliver. But he didn't appreciate the violation of privacy.

"What did you hear?" Diggle demanded calmly.

Roy shrugged, taking a step into Diggle's room. "That whoever you were talking to needed to tell Oliver something soon. You called her Felicity. Isn't Oliver dating Laurel?"

"Yeah, but I don't see how that's relevant."

"So, who's Felicity?"

"A friend,"

"Oliver's friend?"

"Yes,"

"What does she have to tell him soon?"

"That you're a nosy, punkass kid." quipped Diggle. "Now get out of my room and shut the door behind you."

* * *

Oliver once told Helena that before the island, he was very good at screwing up, implying that he lost that particular trait on the island. He usually knew the best way to deal with people from the list, and his success made him think that much had changed. Clearly, he was wrong; screwing up was still his greatest talent.

While some of his problems were not his fault, most of them were; his mother was incarcerated for conspiring to destroy the Glades with his best friend's dad; half the Glades was demolished despite the team's best efforts; Roy was now living in the same house as Thea; Oliver lied to Tommy about not murdering his father as he watched him die in a collapsed building on the side of town that the Hood had failed to save; Oliver had stolen Laurel from him about twenty-four hours before that (Tommy had come to her apartment to win her back, but saw them making out by the window); Oliver wasn't even completely in love with Laurel and they had already begun to drift since Tommy's death.

There was also the issue with Felicity, the woman he was really in love with. Pushing her away had become agonizing in light of the circumstances. As the days passed and the difficulties weighed heavier on his shoulders, his resolve crumbled like an earthquake-stricken building. It had started the night of the Undertaking, when he and Diggle returned to the lair. Felicity was there, scared but unharmed, and he knew how close he'd come to losing her. He forgot to maintain his distance, to keep his walls up. He didn't care. He was tired of lying, something he'd done too much lately. He told her to please be careful, and he kissed her cheek like he had so long ago, to show he remembered.

He hadn't seen Laurel the first week after the Undertaking, and he hadn't minded as long as she was safe. When he finally did see her, she spoke of the guilt she felt. He reminded her it was Mr. Merlyn's fault that Tommy died, but she meant something else. Tommy had told her he loved her right before he saved her. He gave his life for hers, and she'd so easily left him for Oliver. All it took was that one nugget of truth from Oliver, and she was ready to leave Tommy, despite all they had. Despite her tortured past with Oliver. Laurel said she needed time, but Oliver knew. It was going to take a lot to salvage the pieces, and neither of them was in the shape to do it.

Oliver told himself that the hood would help. He needed to do something useful and relatively uncomplicated to ease the inner turmoil and give him a sense of control and balance. So he donned his green getup and set out to save someone, anyone. But as he went scouring the city, he found himself drawn up the fire escape of Felicity's apartment building. His head cleared just before knocking on her window, and he wondered if he had the strength to leave before she knew he was there. His knuckles rapped involuntarily on the pane before he could make up his mind.

* * *

The sound of tapping shook Felicity into consciousness. She reached for her glasses as she looked at her window suspiciously. She had a feeling she knew who it was, but it could just as easily be a dangerous sociopath intent on hurting her. Granted, the likely person _was _a dangerous sociopath, but he was no threat to her.

The alarm clock glowed 10:32 as she rolled out of bed and approached the window with caution. Slowly pushing the curtains aside, she sighed in relief.

"Oliver," she muttered as she opened the window. She was about to ask what was wrong when he surprised her with a kiss; an urgent, smoldering kiss that ignited the dormant fire between them. She smacked the bow off his shoulder, tilting it out of her way so she could wrap her arms around his neck. He pulled down her pajama pants and underwear in one fell swoop, and they slid easily from her thighs to the floor as she eagerly unzipped his pants. Oliver picked her up and slammed her against the wall beside the window, her legs around his waist. He plunged inside her with a lustful grunt, and she sighed happily against his mouth.

Moans and shallow breathing were the only sounds to escape their throats; they didn't trust themselves to speak. This was a moment they had both been aching for, and they trusted their tongues to only dart in each other's mouths. They were both so in love and both too afraid to admit it.

Despite their mutual trepidation, their bodies boldly relayed the message. Every kiss was an "I've missed you," every fervent thrust and resulting squeal an "I need you." Oliver pinned Felicity to the wall with his hips as he moved inside her, allowing his gloved hands to roam over her thighs and under her shirt. His fingers teased her nipples as his hands cupped her breasts, making her dig her fingernails into his neck. He reveled in the painful pleasure, knowing it meant he was pressing the right buttons. Teasing turned to pulling, and she bit his neck playfully in response. Their mouths met again as their bodies persisted in euphoric anticipation, Felicity's back sliding up and down the wall as Oliver plowed into her over and over.

Finally they both climaxed, loud and simultaneously. _That was some hello, _she thought dizzily as they rested their heads on each other's shoulders. She held him tightly, as he had once told her to do. Her legs were jelly and she barely had the strength to keep them wrapped around his waist. Soon he was gently pulling out of her, and her feet dropped to the floor unsteadily. Silently, they removed his gear and clothing before crawling into bed. Oliver pulled her close, peeling her t-shirt off and tossing it by the rest of their clothing. His beard was scratchy against her chest as he rested his head on her shoulder.

Coming down from the high, Felicity was able to think clearly. As she slowly ran her fingers over his back and through his hair, comprehension dawned.

What if he left her again, like he had before? It was obvious that Oliver needed comfort because of everything going on, and it might be the only reason he came to her. It felt like love, it felt like he never wanted to leave her again, but would he change his mind? He had before. Tears welled in her eyes at the realization. _Please don't leave me again,_ she thought. Why did she have to love him so much? Why couldn't she want someone less damaged? She traced the scars on his back with her fingertip as she pondered. They weren't bad for each other, she could tell that much. Maybe… Maybe she had fallen in love with him too soon.

_Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can't help_

_Falling in love with you_

* * *

**Oliver's songs: "Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan & "Demons" by Imagine Dragons**

**Felicity's songs: "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" by Lykke Li & "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Ingrid Michaelson**

** Please don't be pissed that Oliver doesn't know yet; he **_**will**_** find out, but at the right time. This story will take an eventual short hiatus so I can work on other things, but I'll let you know when. **

**Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I'm glad you like it.**


	14. Daylight

She was so beautiful.

Oliver watched contentedly as her chest rose and fell with each subtle breath, her full lips slightly parted. Messy blonde locks sprawled on her pillow looking like tangible, wavy rays of sunlight, brighter than the ones filtering through the closed curtains. The hills and valleys of her body were covered by a thin white sheet.

He needed to leave. He shouldn't have come in the first place. She needed to be with someone normal, someone who didn't prowl the city at night for criminals to kill. _Don't drag her into the darkness, she's seen enough. Stay in your cave and quit bothering her. Even if you don't get her killed, you'll still hurt her, because that's what you do, that's what you've always been good at. Use your destructive little talent to stop the bad guys and leave the poor girl alone. _

That's what he'd do if he loved her, right? He'd leave? It was difficult to tell. He really did love her, though, he knew that much. But that didn't mean he knew how to show it properly.

He reached out and caressed her cheek, gently rubbing his thumb across her bottom lip. He shouldn't have kissed her that first time, or any of the times after. Not that he ever regretted any of it; he just knew he shouldn't have.

His fingertips glided down her soft neck and slowly slipped beneath the sheet to voraciously traverse her body. His hand scaled her breast, skimming its hardening nipple before descending into the valley of her stomach, surprised but not discouraged by the hillock it encountered before arriving at the ravine between her legs. She smiled in her sleep and hummed pleasantly as he buried his fingers in her tender pink flesh, messaging her. He kept stroking, smirking at her soft squeals and increasing wetness.

Just as his own arousal began to plead for attention, Felicity breathed his name, her tone amorous. His whole body tingled at the sound, and suddenly his hand was pushing her legs apart and he was on top of her.

* * *

At first she thought she was dreaming, and she knew she'd cry if she had to wake up. It was a blur of blissful sensation, her bare skin being explored by a curious hand. _His_ curious hand. Oliver was beside her in bed, making her happy in the way he knew best. The pleasure built and built, his name escaping her lips as the desire to feel him inside her became too much to bear. Then he granted her wish. She purred in his ear, reveling in the sweet pressure of his weight and the friction between their hips.

As she drifted into consciousness, the dream became more real instead of draining away. The heat, the noises, the contact—Oliver was really here. With her, on her, in her. She was happy his face was buried in her neck, because she didn't want him to see her tearing up.

"You're still here," she mumbled.

"Of course I am," he responded before lightly nipping her earlobe.

Then it occurred to her that he could still be leaving soon, and she didn't want that to happen. It had been too long; she wanted a sense of control, she wanted more time.

"I want to be on top." she declared, pushing against his shoulders. He put up a mock fight before obeying and rolling on his back. She mounted him eagerly, sinking on top of him and moaning at the feel of having him so deep inside her. Hands on his lower abs, she bounced, riding him hard enough to wrestle a groan from his throat. He panted and grunted and pressed his palms to her thighs, completely at her mercy.

She was close, but he seemed closer, so hungry for release… so she leaned forward and unsheathed him.

He whimpered. He actually whimpered. She had made the Hood whimper, and it was so delicious that she nearly came.

"What are you doing?" he begged.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." she answered, tracing the star-like tattoo on his chest with her finger.

He gulped. "_Now?_"

"Yep."

Oliver beamed at her, giggling. "You're a bitch."

"And you're confusing." she responded with a smirk. "We could've been doing this for the past few months, but you told me we should just stay friends. So why are you back in my bed, Ollie? If you just needed me to comfort you, I'll understand. I just want you to admit it."

"Felicity, please…" he whined. "I can't… I can't concentrate… please…"

She gave him a wicked grin before kissing him, drawing his tongue into her mouth and giving it a good suck before sliding him back inside her. Then she went back to riding him like a hostile rodeo bull. He came so forcefully that he cursed, and she came shuddering after. Sopping wet and sated, she lay on top of him trying to catch her breath.

"Admit it," she demanded, panting. Her arms were weak and shaking but capable of propping her up. She loved how hot his skin was under her palms.

"I love you." he said, looking her in the eye.

Felicity gasped silently, her arms almost collapsing beneath her. "That's… that's not what I meant—"

"I love you," he repeated. "I'm bad and you deserve better, but I love you. I had to protect you from me, from what I do. I was so scared. I'm still scared. People I love always get hurt, and I can't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't be able to handle it. But I've missed you so much and I can't do it anymore. I can't…" He sat up and embraced her, one hand in her hair and the other on her lower back. "Please don't be mad at me."

Tears ran down her face as she clung to him. "You love me?"

"Yes," It sounded like he might be crying too. "I shouldn't, I know I shouldn't, and I'm not great at showing it—"

"You're not so bad at it," she countered, her nose touching his as she looked him in the eye. "You just need more practice."

Oliver smiled, and she wished she was wearing her glasses so she could see it better. "Do you love me?" he asked quietly and sincerely.

"Obviously," she said with a laugh. Her fingers slid through his hair. "I love you. I love you so much."

"Say it again," he begged, his voice husky.

Felicity felt him stir beneath her. Her hands moved down to his chest, her lips centimeters from his. "I love you."

He sighed as she guided him into her and started to move, his hands on her hips.

"I love you, too." Oliver breathed, burying his nose in her hair.

She pushed harder and harder, her lips grazing his neck. She was on her back before she realized it, and soon they were fighting for dominance, laughing and shoving and nipping and clawing and thrusting until they were lying on the unmade bed, completely spent and covered in raised red lines and love bites.

The room was bright by the time Oliver sat up. "I need you to do something for me."

Felicity blinked at him. "Hmm?"

"I want you out of the city. It's not any better out there, and Diggle said that your parents asked you to stay with them."

"But Detective Lance said I shouldn't leave."

"I'll get him to change his mind. Can you leave today? I can have the rest of your things put in storage and your rent paid until you get back."

She nodded, ignoring the knot in her stomach.

"Or you could just stay there permanently and I could visit." He favored her with a smile. "Get a job and get a boring life again. No more undertakings or criminals, no detective hounding you…"

It was tempting, and probably a good idea. She was running out of things, but the news made it seem too dangerous to venture outside. And the excitement needed to stop now that Baby Hood was on the way.

Speaking of which… No. She couldn't tell him. Not yet. He'd flip, and he had so much else going on. Just a few more weeks, just a little more time—

"Felicity?" he said, pulling her out of her musings. "What do you think?"

"Huh? Oh… um, yeah. You're right."

Grinning, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll help you pack."

And risk him finding the pregnancy books, the ultrasound picture, or any other evidence of Baby Hood? Nuh-uh.

"It's okay, I've got it."

"You're sure?"

"One-hundred percent,"

With one last amazing kiss, he stood up and got dressed. She put on her glasses and grabbed her body pillow, curling up around it as she watched him, drinking in his sculpted muscles and beautiful scars. Soon he was covered in green with a quiver on his back and kissing her goodbye.

Felicity laid there for a little while longer, wondering why she wasn't happier. He'd said it. He'd said he loved her. She finally had him. So why was she so scared?  
Maybe it was the silly fear she had about Laurel. Now that Tommy was gone, she might need a shoulder to cry on. She was so beautiful and undoubtedly had a special place in Oliver's heart, so wouldn't he want to comfort her? Whether he loved Felicity or not, it seemed likely that he'd loved Laurel more if he had the chance to be with her again.

Then there was the thing about leaving the city. She understood, and she knew she needed to leave, but… if he was so worried, why couldn't she stay with him? He told her he loved her, then said to skip town.

If he hadn't fooled around with her then suddenly broke things off all those months ago, maybe she wouldn't be feeling so insecure. Felicity loved him and that was the only thing she was certain about. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with all of this.

* * *

"**Strangeness and Charm" and "Bedroom Hymns" by Florence + The Machine.**

**Oliver's song: "Faster" by Matt Nathanson. I feel like I need to explain this decision, because it's so upbeat compared to the chapter and the other songs. Maybe this should've been for chapter two, but since he's come clean and feels that everything is finally right between him and Felicity, I'd say it works. Despite the horrors that await him beyond the apartment, he has her again and he can forget everything else for a while. **

**Felicity's song: "Lovesong" by Adele.**

**Oh, and the hiatus starts now. :)**


	15. It's About Time

**I must apologize for my portrayal of Roy. It's not accurate, but I can't help it; that's just how he comes out. Maybe I'll get the hang of it eventually.**

* * *

It figured. Just when the Hood was starting to seem like a good guy… Detective Lance was still fuming when he left the station, his usual scowl bitter enough to curdle milk. He'd told his I.T. guy to leave the Hood case alone, but he hadn't listened; especially when it came to the sidekick. Steve was fascinated by the girl who helped the big bad Hood, and thought he was doing Lance a favor when he took it upon himself to keep track of her after she left the city. Lance probably should've told him that he wanted to avoid incriminating Felicity Smoak, but it would've been difficult to explain why. No one knew he'd helped the Hood during the Undertaking, which was when he'd decided Felicity didn't deserve to be punished for her involvement with the vigilante.

The experience had even softened him toward the archer, but his view quickly changed when Steve showed him the evidence he'd found. It enforced the detective's theory that the Hood had coerced Ms. Smoak into assisting him. Even though she grew to see him as a hero, it didn't mean she wasn't still forced to help.

And considering what Steve had found, there was a slim chance she'd helped him eagerly in the last few months.

He and Laurel were at the Queen mansion, but dinner wasn't improving his mood. Oliver Queen and Roy Harper were present, but that didn't bother him. Irritable, he prodded his salmon with his fork, his mind marinating on the newfound evidence. It was too hard to paste on a smile; he was exhausted from all the extra work the elevated crime rate was putting him through, and then he was wrestling with the Smoak problem. He couldn't push it away. It festered, making him angrier. How could the Hood be so heartless—?

"Dad?" His daughter said, shaking him from his brooding. "You seem really upset. Is there something going on at work?"

"Is it the Hood?" Roy blurted from across the table. Thea surreptitiously elbowed him. He looked half-sorry he'd talked, but still curious.

Quentin eyed him, miffed that this dumb kid still thought highly of the vigilante. If he knew what the Hood had done… Well, maybe he really should know. Maybe all of them should. They were trustworthy enough. And Felicity Smoak made a great cautionary tale.

"Yes, actually. It is the Hood." He dropped his fork next to his plate and leaned forward. "Turns out he hasn't been so nice to his sidekick."

"_Sidekick?_" Roy nearly choked on his peas, and everyone looked shocked. "Since when does he have a sidekick?"

"Judging by the evidence, she just helps him with tech. Really the only way she could be useful to him."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "His sidekick is some techy girl? Like some badass underground hacker chick who hates authority?"  
Quentin chuckled. "Not even close. She's an employee at Queen Consolidated with no criminal record."

Mrs. Queen's eyes widened, and the detective turned his attention to her. "From what I can tell, she's been coerced for the most part. Save for her hacking skills, the girl's clearly not a criminal. And she told me that she once thought the Hood was bad until she saw how much he cared about the people of this city."

"So she hasn't been coerced the entire time, then?" asked Mrs. Queen. "She helps him willingly now?"

"That's the thing; I'm not so sure. She might still think he's a hero, but I doubt she's been happy to help for the past few months."

Oliver finally spoke. "Who exactly are we talking about?"

"Felicity Smoak."

He paled slightly and pursed his lips, then exchanged a glance with his mother.

"Isn't that the girl…?"

"Yeah, Mom."

She smoothed her hair, processing the fact that she'd met this sidekick. "That must mean she helped the Hood find Walter. I suppose I should've thanked her."

"But it _can't_ be her," argued Oliver. "She's great with computers, but… She's so… I don't know, harmless. I find it hard to believe she spent nights helping the vigilante hunt down crooked one-percenters."

It seemed Oliver didn't even know about Felicity's condition; surely he would've mentioned it. Sadly, that further proved one of Lance's more unfortunate theories.

"Wait," Thea said. "Have I met her?"

"She was that woman at the hospital who brought flowers." Mrs. Queen answered. "Oliver introduced her as his friend."

Thea snorted. "Yeah, I agree with Oliver. She couldn't be the Hood's sidekick."

"Oliver," Laurel stepped in. "Is that the same Felicity I met at Verdant? The one who was setting up the internet?"

"That's the one,"

She raised her eyebrows. "She's so…"

"I know, right?"

Lance tried to wrestle back the conversation. "I know it doesn't seem likely, but—"

"Hey, Diggle," Roy interrupted. "Is this the same Felicity you were talking on the phone with three weeks ago?"

"Yeah,"

"Where does she live?"

"She moved in with her parents in Mapleville after the attack on the Glades."

"Dammit! Everyone's met the sidekick except me!"

"She's not his sidekick!" countered Oliver. "If you met her you see she couldn't—"

"Felicity Smoak is the Hood's sidekick." Detective Lance stated firmly. "I don't care how unlikely it seems; there's clear evidence that proves it."

It took a moment for everyone to except that. Then Oliver got surly and crossed his arms. "So then the hood guy has been forcing her to help him? Has he hurt her?"

Quentin stared at his food. "He's probably scared her, but I don't think he's physically hurt her."

"Then what did you mean when you said he hasn't been nice to her?" Roy asked. "What's got you scowling at your salmon?"

The detective's jaw tightened. "One of my I.T. guys has been keeping track of her since she left the city. I didn't know until he came to me with a file today. There hasn't been any suspicious activity on her computer but he'd been tracking the family's purchases, and that's where things got interesting. The Smoaks have been buying some telling things since their daughter moved in, so Steve looked up her medical records."

"Is she sick?" Oliver looked concerned.

"I'm beginning to think the vigilante really did a number on her. I'm thinking she tried to get out, but he convinced her she was needed. Whether it was with a speech about justice or just an arrow pointed at her forehead—"

"Detective Lance, what exactly did you find in her medical records?" asserted Mrs. Queen. "You seem hesitant to share."

He cleared his throat and stared at his dinner again. "Felicity Smoak is pregnant. It's likely she tried to stop helping the vigilante when she found out, but he wouldn't allow it. I know for a fact she kept half the Glades from being destroyed when the Undertaking happened. The Hood got her involved. It was really important, but the girl is _pregnant_. She's been pregnant since February, and who knows how much danger he's put her in besides the Undertaking since then. That bastard has to have been forcing her to stay involved. And considering that she's been keeping it a secret, it might even be the Hood's baby. Who the hell knows."

When he looked up, he saw the expression of shock and horror on Oliver's face. The statement had hit him like a Mack truck.  
"The father's identity is the reason she's keeping it a secret," explained Diggle, "but it's not the Hood."

Then everyone finally understood why Oliver was so freaked out. Except for Roy, who thought Diggle was the father. But he caught on quickly and turned his attention to Oliver.

"Ollie?" asked Laurel, trying to contain her anger. "What is Diggle talking about?"

Oliver put his head in his hands, oblivious to everyone. Then he sprung out of his seat and dashed from the room. Diggle hurried after him, and those who remained sat in their chairs and tried to process what just happened.

"Felicity Smoak is the Hood's sidekick _and_ Oliver Queen's baby mama." commented Roy. "Who the hell is this girl?"

"I hadn't thought of that," confessed the detective, thunderstruck. "She didn't seem his type."

"She didn't seem like she could be the Hood's sidekick, either." countered Laurel, anger just beneath the surface. Quentin understood her frustration, seeing how this I.T. girl seemed to have stolen both the vigilante and Oliver from her. However close Laurel was to either of them, this girl was closer.

Not that that was such a good thing.

"This girl's in more trouble than I realized."

* * *

Bubble baths were one of those things that made Felicity forget there was anything wrong with the world. She lay in the tub watching the rubber ducky float around covered in bubbles. It was like an iceberg. A bubbleberg. She jabbed it with her knee and it careened to the left and bounced off the side of the tub.

Felicity really needed this. Her father was so obviously trustworthy, but it was nerve-racking to think that she'd told someone Oliver's secret. Granted, she hadn't told him immediately…

The first day at their house had been intense. Her mother had fretted over her incessantly and occasionally brought up Ed. Her father tried to calm her down, but she was unstoppable in light of the circumstances. So Felicity hadn't told them about being pregnant until the day after, and even then it felt too soon.

Stammering out the words had been nearly impossible, but she managed. Her parents had been so quiet at first. Then her mother had squealed, "I'm going to be a grandma!" then hugged her tightly before going to the kitchen to make lunch. Her father gave her a sad half-smile and asked for more details. She told him when it had happened, but not who the father was. He nodded and patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Flick."

Supportive as ever. Probably because they could tell how worried she was. That, and Mrs. Smoak was _really_ excited about being a grandma. Her parents would run errands and come back with baby things: diapers and wipes and onesies and stuff like that. Judy's old box of maternity clothes was brought down for Felicity to go through. They were surprisingly cool with their daughter having a child out of wedlock and not knowing who the father was.

That's actually what made her spill the green beans. They were being so understanding and it made her feel awful for lying to them. And since her mother was too high-strung to handle the truth, she told her dad. They sat out on the front porch and the story gushed from her like a broken dam. She left out some details, obviously, but Mr. Smoak knew about the Hood and everything.

So yeah. But the time between both confessions was very relaxing. Felicity had been confined to the couch or her bed because "she'd had enough excitement oh my that city is a death trap and sweetie you really should've left earlier." So she gave into her food cravings while watching Netflix. She liked _Teen Wolf_ and thought Stiles was basically her as a teenage boy. Jackson was her other favorite character, mostly because he was so pretty. He also seemed kind of familiar, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen him before. And Derek had a very, very familiar personality—

"Flick? Someone is here to see you."

Annoyed, she sank down and blew bubbles in the water. It had to be sometime after nine, and someone wanted to bother her. Who could it—

Oh, _shit._

"Who is it, Dad?" she asked, her voice too high.

"Oliver Queen."

Felicity took a moment to scream under the water. Why was he here? She wasn't ready yet! Every time she considered telling him she nearly had a panic attack. She didn't even know why. He loved her and this was a happy thing, right? But she was still _terrified _to tell him. No amount of practicing on Paperweight had helped. Whenever she and Oliver had spoken on the phone since she left, it was about boring things or Hood stuff. And after every call she told herself next time. Next time he'd finally know. But it never happened and now he was _here_ and it just felt like she wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.

"What?" she squeaked.

"It's time, Flick. I'll send him in."

_Yeah, so he can drown me once I tell him,_ she thought as she put on her glasses.

The door opened and she resisted the urge to hide in the bubbles. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look homicidal, either. But he was pale and sweaty and he might've thrown up before coming here. _Does he already know? Dammit, Diggle!_

"We need to talk." he stated, closing the door behind him.

"So I've gathered."

He walked over and sat with his back against the tub, only glancing at her. "Do I scare you that much?"

Felicity sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. He knew. He knew and he understood why she didn't say anything. "You were cold and distant towards me for so long, all because you wanted to keep me out of danger. So if you knew I wasn't the only one…" Her lip quivered and her hand rose to cover her mouth. Tears blurred her vision. "Yeah, you scare me." she admitted, her voice breaking. "Before you told me you loved me, you were always yelling at me. And you're so violent. I wasn't sure what you would do. And even after you explained everything, I still thought it wasn't safe to tell you. I thought you'd abandon me again. I thought you'd abandon the both of us. Or tell me to do something I didn't want to do."

Oliver was crying too, quietly. The confession had hit him like a stab in the gut. She'd been going through this alone and afraid because he'd pushed her away. He slowly turned around and rested his arms on the edge of the tub. "I'm so sorry, Felicity."

She put a wet hand on his. "I know." To show she meant it, she leaned toward and kissed him tenderly on the lips. He responded eagerly, placing his hand on the back of her slippery neck. After a few seconds they pulled away, their foreheads pressed together and their eyes closed.

"I'll be there for you, Felicity. I promise." he said. "I want you more than anything and I'll never leave you again."

She giggled. "That kind of sounded like a proposal."

"Maybe it was one."

Gasping, she opened her eyes. Gray-green and blue met as color rose in her cheeks. "One big thing at a time, please."

Oliver smirked. "Just trying to make an honest woman out of you."

"You did not just propose to me."

"No, not intentionally. But now that you put the idea in my head, I'm going with it. Felicity Smoak, will you—"

Panicking, she clapped her wet hand over his mouth before he could finish. "Rain check?"

He nodded, and she could feel him smiling. She dropped her hand back in the water.

"I recall you taking a rain check for something else a while ago." he said, wiping at his mouth. "What was it again?"

It was Felicity's turn to smirk. "Showering with you."

"Yes, now I remember." Oliver peeled off his Henley.

"You're really going to try to get in the bath with me?"

"You say 'try' like it will require effort." he replied as he undid his belt.

"My parents are home!"

Oliver got up and locked the door. "There."

She chewed her lip. "They'll hear us."

"Then we'll be quiet." he whispered.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous." she said as he removed his shoes and socks.

"Fine, then." He stepped out of his jeans. "Then say you'll marry me. It's one rain check or the other."

He actually said the word. It caused a big, stupid grin to stretch her lips. "Well, you've been waiting for the shower one a lot longer…"

"Have I? Have I _really?_"

She slapped the water. "Get in here."

He crossed his arms and smiled. "Is that a challenge? Because I'm a water-slapping _master_."

Felicity tilted her head at him. "Oh, really?"

His boxers went down. "It's how I got strong enough to draw a bow."

Her smile slowly faded as she realized he was talking about the island. She moved aside so he could get in behind her. "That's a strange way to build strength."

"Not as strange as you think," Oliver rested his back against the tub, and Felicity cuddled against his chest. "Do you two want to hear about it?"

For a split second she thought he meant her and the rubber duck, but then she realized he was referring to the baby. She happily nuzzled his chest. "I think Baby Hood would enjoy it."

Oliver threw his head back and laughed. "'Baby Hood,' huh?"

"Yep,"

He kissed the top of her head. "I love it."

* * *

**I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Sleeping at Last.**


	16. How Can You Tell?

"Oh, and _this_ is Felicity with her pet boa. That thing scared the jeepers out of me…"

Felicity rolled her eyes and shook her head. She and Oliver were in the hallway, reluctant to enter the living room. From the sound of it, the Smoaks were showing Diggle Felicity's baby pictures. And if they were all the way to that picture from when she was six, they'd been at it for a while.

"You had a pet boa?" asked Oliver, his hand in hers.

"They must be mad at me if they're showing baby pictures." She squeezed his hand. "I told you we were being too loud."

They could hear Diggle laughing.

"Sounds like I'm missing out," Oliver let go and walked away, giving her a playful smirk before turning the corner.

"You traitor!" she whispered loudly. Felicity stood there for another moment before marching into the living room.

"Nice robe," remarked Diggle.

Felicity looked down at her fluffy pink robe. "Thanks." Then she turned to her parents. "Why are the photo albums out?"

Her dad looked almost silly in his striped flannel pajamas and horn-rimmed glasses, a big goofy grin on his face. "We had to do something to pass the time while you and Oliver talked."

Her baby daddy was on the couch with them, giggling at all the pictures. Sighing, she gave in and joined them.

After a few more minutes of excruciating embarrassment (AHH! No, Mom, not the Halloween photos!) Mrs. Smoak handed the album to Diggle. Mr. Smoak stood up.

"Oliver, my wife and I would like to speak to you privately in the kitchen."

His smile dropped and suddenly the fun was over. "Sure, Mr. Smoak."

Felicity and Diggle struggled to suppress their laughter as they watched Oliver follow the Smoaks out of the room. He looked like he was bravely entering a slaughterhouse.

"Think he's in trouble?" wondered Diggle. "I've never seen him scared like that before."

"My dad might be pretty cross with him. He knows the whole story."

"The _whole_ story?"

"It's cool, Dig." She shifted around in her seat to get more comfortable. "So how's he been? I mean with everything that's happened…"

Diggle shrugged. "He doesn't really talk about Tommy. Or any of it, really. I think you've been helping him heal, though. You should see the smile he gets when he calls you."

Felicity hugged him. "And how have you been, muh big buddeh?"

He chuckled. "Pretty good,"

"Is there a reason you told Oliver before I could? I know I was taking a while…"

Diggle pursed his lips. "He didn't find out from me."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Did he figure it out on his own like you did?"

"It was Detective Lance."

Her jaw dropped and she finally let him go. "_What?_"

He gave her the gist of what happened at dinner.

It took her a moment to come to terms with the fact that the detective blabbed the news to everyone. "It sounds like he wants to keep me out of the whole Hood mess."

"He does. Oh, and Roy wants to meet you."

"Who?"

"Thea's boyfriend."

"The pretty gangbanger?"

Diggle looked amused by the identifier. "Yes, the pretty gangbanger. He might pester you about the vigilante when you move into the mansion."

"I'm moving in now? Is it just me, or is everything snowballing?"

"Oliver said so on the drive here. He's not going to force you, but it'd mean a lot to him."

Felicity rested her head on the back of the couch. "He wants me to live in the mansion with him?"

Leaning back, Diggle gauged her reaction. "That freak you out?"

"He proposed to me earlier, so compared to that it isn't very scary."

Diggle gawked at her in bewilderment. "He did what now?"

She shrugged. "I told him to ask again later."

"What did you two talk about in there? I mean, we could hear what you were _doing_ in there…"

Felicity made a face. "Ugh, I _knew_ we were being too loud."

"Your mom makes great hot cocoa, by the way."

"She does, doesn't she?"

Just then, Oliver walked out of the kitchen, looking chastised and possibly frightened. The Smoaks followed after, looking sweet and harmless as usual.

"Diggle, we should probably get going," he said and he strode across the living room towards the door. Felicity got up to hug him goodbye.

"Your tiny parents scare me." he whispered in her ear.

She fought back a laugh. Then Felicity pulled away to look at him. "Diggle says you want me to move in."

"Soon. Are you okay with that?"

"You want to know if I'm okay with living in a mansion? Only if you asked your mom first."

"You're carrying her grandchild. I'm sure she'd be fine with it."

She nodded, then kissed him lightly on the cheek before the two of them left.

* * *

June 19th

Moving into the mansion wasn't a frightening concept until it actually happened. She was going to _live with Oliver._ And the rest of the Queens. And Roy. And Diggle. She was kind of excited about living with Diggle (slumber party!) but not everyone else. First of all, it was a _mansion_. Like she even belonged in a mansion. They probably had a fulltime maid! How weird would it be to have a fulltime maid? Probably really weird. And then there was Mrs. Queen. Felicity would be living with her boss who was also her unborn child's grandmother and possibly her future mother-in-law. Also, she was a classy lady. Felicity would feel like even more of a dork just standing next to her. And Thea… She doubted they'd get along. From what she could tell, Oliver's little sister was a smart-mouthed troublemaker. What if she didn't approve? Oh, and there was Roy. Fanboy Roy. He was sure to try and wheedle information out of her. She and Oliver had been working on making him and the Hood sound like two different people, but she'd have to be especially careful not to let her guard down.

And Oliver. Damn, it was going to be weird living with him. In the same house. Down the hall. Always within reach. Almost as if they were married. The thought made Felicity dizzy. Happy too, but… She couldn't shake that feeling of dread. Only a fool would expect a happy ending, right? Especially with what she'd already been through.

Felicity smiled when she stepped out of the car, the mansion towering above her. If she'd brought Paperweight with her, she probably would've asked him if he thought he'd like it here; not that it would've been a good idea, since a bunch of people were watching.

She nearly regretted telling her parents she wanted to do this alone, but having them here would've meant more people to worry about. There were people casually watching her from the windows, all of them curious. Wow, there was quite a few of them. Was there a party? Please let there not be a party.

Oliver and Diggle came out of the house to help her, and she felt slightly more at ease. She blushed as Oliver kissed her in front of everyone before taking the box from the trunk.

"Go ahead inside," said Oliver. "Diggle and I can handle the box and the suitcase."

Taking a deep breath, Felicity adjusted the strap of her bag and walked to the front door. Mrs. Queen was waiting for her, holding the door open. Felicity suddenly felt too frumpy and was acutely aware of how messy her ponytail was. Oliver's mother didn't seem to mind, though.

"It's so nice to see you again!" she said before pulling her into a big hug. "Thank you so much for having Oliver's baby," she mumbled next to her hear. "I thought he'd never give me a grandchild."

"Um… You're welcome,"

Mrs. Queen held her at arm's length. "Oh, just look at that belly! How far along are you?"

Felicity ran a hand over her convex tummy. "Nineteen weeks."

Oliver's mother beamed. "I hope you have ultrasound pictures for me to see."

"Yes, ma'am."

"There's no need for formality, dear. Call me Moira."

Moira let her enter the gigantic house that reeked of luxury. The foyer (Parlor? That space by the front door. Whatever you called it.) was mercifully empty except for an older woman who was clearly the maid.

"Felicity, this is Raisa."

Felicity took the woman's hand cheerfully. She seemed really nice and smelled like cookies.

"It's lovely to meet you," Raisa had a cool accent. Russian, maybe? Felicity wasn't certain. "Oliver is very excited about you moving in."

"I'm excited too." More like terrified, but whatever.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I'm sure you've eaten dinner by now, but I made cookies if you are having cravings. Don't worry; they do not have nuts in them. Mr. Diggle told me you are allergic."

"Thank you, Raisa," The maid made cookies. Is this what it's like to have a maid? Having a maid is awesome! "I'm sure I'll want some later. Right now I think I have a lot more people to meet."

Just then, Oliver and Diggle walked through the door and immediately climbed the stairs to take her stuff to her new room. As Felicity watched them go, Moira took her hand and led her to the living room (One of the living rooms? It's a mansion; does a mansion have multiple living rooms?).

Felicity involuntarily squeezed the poor woman's hand. It wasn't a ton of people, but it felt like a lot: Thea, Roy, Detective Lance, Laurel, and Laurel's friend. Only five people in the room, and she'd already met three of them, but this was like meeting them all over again. And one of them was Laurel. Laurel! Meeting Laurel like this was bound to be awkward.

Moira gave her a confused but concerned look. "It's all right, dear. You don't need to be nervous."

"Right. Of course," Felicity pasted on a weak smile.

Everyone turned when they saw her entering the room, and everyone's eyes went from her face to her belly then back again. Thea looked inquisitive, Roy eager, Lance worried, Laurel… threatened? Unimpressed? Appraising? It was hard to tell. Laurel's friend was smiling warmly, and it made Felicity feel better.

"Hi," she greeted, feeling uncomfortable as Detective Lance got out of his chair so she could sit down.

"Hey, I'm Joanna," Laurel's friend said, waving. Smiling, Felicity waving back.

"I'm Roy," said the pretty gangbanger, who was sitting on the end of the couch closest to her chair.

"Yeah, I remember. Not that we've met, obviously. We haven't, I just remember you from that thing. That thing with that crazy guy with a video camera in the subway. Though I'm sure you don't want to be reminded of that, since you got the crap beaten out of you and you nearly died… Uh, I'm just saying that I recognize you. Kind of hard not to, since your so… memorable. It's nice to be reminded what your name is though, because I just thought of you as the pretty gangbanger." Felicity squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. "You know what? I'm going to shut up now."

Felicity looked away as Roy covered his mouth with his fist to keep from laughing and exchanged an amused glance with Thea.

"Listen, Felicity, I uh…" The detective looked like he didn't quite know what to say. "I'm sorry about telling everyone. Probably wasn't the best way for Oliver to find out."

Felicity fidgeted with her bangle. "It's okay. I was too afraid to tell him, anyway."

"Why would you be afraid?" asked Laurel. There was only the vaguest hint of venom in her voice. "Isn't he in love with you?"

"I spent months thinking he barely cared about me at all."

The response drained some of the ire from Laurel's disposition. "And now?"

Felicity gave her a half smile. "He's got me pretty convinced he loves me."

"There's something that's really been bothering me, though," Laurel looked hurt, confused… but mostly angry. Angry with Oliver, maybe, but definitely angry with Felicity, right? Considering that it appears Felicity came out of nowhere and stole Oliver's heart, it was understandable. "How can he suddenly be so in love you if he was in love with me only a few weeks ago?"

Felicity felt like a glass vase shattering on a marble floor.

"Laurel!" Lance said reproachfully.

"It's a good question, isn't?" she countered. "I'm all for him supporting her, but how do we know he isn't saying he loves her because he feels obligated?"

Mrs. Queen crossed her arms. "Perhaps you should keep your opinions to yourself."

"_Opinion?_ Mrs. Queen, he introduced her as a friend to you not too long ago, never mentioned her to anyone, and we're supposed to believe he's in love with her? He's lying to her, just like her lied to me before he got on that yacht with Sara."

"Except when he cheated on you, he was running away from responsibility." Thea interjected, wearing her signature scowl. "With her he's practically hunting it down."

"Why is everyone talking about Felicity like she's not in the room?" wondered Roy.

"She would've come knocking eventually." countered Laurel. "He probably thinks he's doing the right thing, but how long can he pretend to love her? One day he going to get tired of it and then he'll break her heart."

"Damn, Laurel," said Thea. "Get over him already."

"This isn't about me!" she went to kneel in front of Felicity, who was crying softly. "I've been trying really hard to keep my mouth shut about all this, but then you came in with your baby belly and that frightened look on your face and I just can't allow you to suffer any further." Laurel put her hand on Felicity's, and the pregnant girl knew this wasn't some jealous tactic. "Nobody knew about you for the longest time, and then when you did meet any of us it was on accident. Oliver told me that Tommy never even met you. His _best friend_ never met you. If you're so special to him, then why didn't he ever introduce you to anyone? And what about McKenna? What about me? Oliver dated McKenna and then me, and we both broke up with _him_. What do you think he would've done if he hadn't been conveniently single when he found out about the baby? Felicity, he fooled around with you and then stuck you in the friend zone. In fact, he didn't even call you a friend when I met you; you were just the girl setting up his internet. And now that he's single and you're pregnant, he's just trying to do the right thing. And with everything that's happened, I think he's just clinging to whatever good thing he could find. But this can't last."

Felicity wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Everyone else continued to sit in uncomfortable silence. "But he told me… he told me he loved me before he found out."

"When was that?"

"A week after the Undertaking."

"Sweetie," Laurel held her hand tighter. "I told him we needed time apart just a couple of days after the Undertaking."

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out. "So he did just want comfort."

Mrs. Queen crouched down by Felicity's side. "I'll admit Laurel's making a convincing argument, but Oliver clearly loves you."

"Or he clearly thinks he loves her," Laurel said quietly and reluctantly. Surprisingly, she seemed to wish she was wrong. "He better get the hell in here and prove he means it."

"He said he'd never leave me again." Felicity said with conviction, her cheeks tearstained. "He promised."

Before Laurel could respond to that, Oliver and Diggle entered the room.

"What the…?" Oliver looked around, confused. "Who the hell made Felicity cry?" Mrs. Queen and Laurel stood as Oliver rushed over and crouched down beside his girlfriend. "She's only been here for five minutes and she's already crying? Roy, what did you do?"

Roy held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't do anything!"

Oliver turned his glare on Detective Lance, but Laurel spoke before he needed to defend himself. "I pointed out how weird it is for you to be so in love with a woman that you stuck in the friend zone and tried to hide from everyone."

The playboy pursed his lips. "Laurel, you're the one who broke up with me."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just worried about _her_. From where I'm standing, it looks like you're bound to break her heart."

Felicity rose awkwardly from her seat. "I'm gonna go eat some cookies."

Oliver stood up. "Wait—"

"I just really want some cookies right now, Oliver." she said, Diggle trailing behind her.

"I totally want cookies." said Joanna before fleeing the room.

"I want some cookies too." admitted Roy, springing from the couch, Thea eagerly leaving as well.

"I'll get the milk out," said Moira.

"I don't wanna be around for this," said Lance as he hurried from the room with Mrs. Queen.

Everyone stood around the kitchen eating Raisa's cookies while Oliver and Laurel's verbal brawl emanated from the living room, the yells barely audible. By the time the milk was poured and passed out, the awkward near-silence was too much to bear.

"You worried, Felicity?" asked Diggle.

She drummed her fingers on her glass while she thought about her answer. "Oliver's severely emotionally crippled, has a defective moral compass, and possibly PTSD. The amount of women he's been with is probably in the low hundreds and I honestly think it's a miracle he didn't give me some horrible venereal disease. He shoved me into the friend zone just when I thought everything was perfect and then I had to go through the searing pain of seeing him with another woman. I spent five terrifying months keeping my pregnancy a secret because I thought he'd freak out and either deny it was his or throw money at me until I left him alone. In spite of all that, I totally believe he loves me." Felicity took a big bite of her cookie. "So, am I crazy? What's the consensus here?"

Thea shrugged. "Personally, I think Oliver's genuinely in love with you. He got the stupidest smile on his face when you drove up."

"Yeah, he's a total dork when it comes to you." agreed Roy.

Moira put her hand on Felicity's shoulder. "He's very fond of you, dear. I haven't seen him this happy in a very long time."

"He's so in love with you he doesn't even know how to handle it." said Diggle.

"Do I have to offer an opinion?" inquired Quentin. "'Cause I don't think I have enough evidence to go on."

"Same here," admitted Joanna.

"Ever since you agreed to move in, he sings love songs when he thinks no one is around." Raisa stated. "It's very funny,"

Everyone who was drinking their milk when she said that nearly choked, including Felicity. "Raisa definitely has the best argument." she said as Mrs. Queen, Roy, and Detective Lance sputtered and cleared their throats.

"How did this whole thing even start, anyway?" queried Thea. "Like how did you even get to this point?"

Felicity swallowed a mouthful of cookie. "He needed my help when he spilt a latte on his laptop, and from then on he just kept coming by the I.T. department with random tasks for me to do. I think one time he needed help with Facebook, and another time he wanted help with a scavenger hunt. He promised me a bottle of wine for that one, but he didn't pony up until my birthday on June first. I thought it was hilarious because by the time I got it, I couldn't drink it. Anyway, stuff like that kept happening and then he just showed up at my place on Valentine's Day and seduced me. I never got to eat that box of chocolates I bought myself because he startled me and I spilled them all over the floor. Other than that, it was awesome."

"My brother's had a crush on a nerd this whole time." Thea giggled. "And he got her pregnant. The kid is going to be like some nerd/cool person hybrid. He'll be really good-looking but so smart that people won't know how to deal with him. He'll be incredibly charming yet have little to no social aptitude. He'll like partying and playing Dungeons & Dragons. I cannot wait to be an aunt."

"Where are you getting 'he' from?" asked Felicity, only to get a shrug in response. "And what do you mean by 'little to no social aptitude'? Are you calling me socially awkward?" Her lips curled into a smile, knowing it was completely true.

"That Roy rambling you did earlier was pretty _memorable." _she quipped, taking a bite of her cookie.

"They stopped yelling," Quentin pointed out.

In a fit of (hopefully) irrational fear, Felicity dashed from the kitchen to see if they stopped shouting only to move onto an equally passionate but less hateful activity. _Please don't be making out, please don't be making out, please don't be making out…_

When he made it to the living room, she saw them sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, no parts of their bodies touching at all. They turned when they heard her breathe a sigh of relief.

Oliver stood up immediately and raced over to give her the biggest hug he could without injuring her. "You're not gonna leave, are you?" he asked quietly.

Felicity couldn't remember him ever sounding so vulnerable, and it nearly made her cry. She wrapped her arms around him. "I wasn't planning on it."

He kissed her cheek. "Just checking," he said, sounding significantly manlier this time. "You believe I love you, right?"

"Yes," she answered, pulling away so they could make eye contact. "But if I'm ever wrong and you do leave me, I will sic the Hood on you. And he would totally go for it because you're a rich asshole and I'm his lovable sidekick. Is that understood?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

"Hey," Laurel seemed profoundly less irate than before as she walked up to the couple. "Oliver, don't screw this up, okay?" she said with a smirk. "And Felicity, if you ever need anything, whether it's legal advice or dirt on Ollie, you just call me."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks, Laurel!" As the astonishingly helpful ex left to join the cookie group in the kitchen, Oliver looked at Felicity pleadingly.

"Please don't talk about me with Laurel."

"And miss out on all the fun stories of when you were in your early twenties? Not gonna happen." She nuzzled his nose and gave him a peck on the lips. "Well, I'm tired now. I'm gonna go to bed."

Oliver did that weird cute pouty duck face thing as she walked away. "Name your price."

"Five hundred bajillion dollars," she replied as she ascended the stairs. "Otherwise Laurel and I will swap embarrassing stories about you while we braid each other's hair and paint each other's nails and dance around to girly music."

"Do not hang out with my ex."

"Hey, Laurel, did you know Oliver is ticklish? Isn't it hilarious? He flops around like a fish." She taunted, giving him a sample of what it would be like.

"Felicity—"

"_Run, run, runaway, runaway, baby, before I put my spell on you_…" she sang, leaning against the bannister. "Do you know that song? You should. It's 'Runaway Baby' by Bruno Mars and it's your theme song. Laurel and I will sing it and laugh because it reminds us of you."

"How did I fall in love with such a weirdo?" he mumbled to himself.

"Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' is a good one too. Maybe we could put a mix together and listen to that while we exchange our reviews of your sexual performance."

"Just go to bed already, you crazy person!" he begged, a huge smile on his face. She returned the grin as she walked out of sight. "And when are you going to marry me?" he called after her.

* * *

**"Drive By" by Train**

**This was originally going to be way more emotional, but I decided on cookies and banter and bonding instead. And look! Laurel wasn't a bitch! I feel like a magician. **


	17. The Fanboy

A hotdog with marshmallows melted on top would sound revolting to any rational person, but not to Felicity. No, Felicity was pregnant and her cravings could not be denied, which was why she was in the kitchen at two A.M. making a sickening campfire crossbreed as she mumble-sang "Campfire Song Song" from _Spongbob_.

Her creation was finished in thirty seconds, and she licked her lips as she removed it from the microwave. Ah, Dr. Frankenstein would be proud. But it needed something… chocolate syrup! And a graham cracker crumbled on top. Yes. _Yeees._

The ridiculous pregnant woman set her beloved mallowdog on the island and liberated the chocolate syrup from the fridge. Then she found the graham crackers, and soon her hideous masterpiece was complete.

As she closed her eyes to take a savory bite, she heard a disgusted groan. For a split second she thought it was the s'moredog, but then she turned towards the sound and saw Roy entering the kitchen.

"You're not really going to eat that, are you?"

Keeping her eyes on his, she chomped into the dreadful delicacy, watching his face screw up in repulsion.

"Ew, you are so weird." he said, shaking his head as he took a seat at the island.

She smiled at him as she chewed. "Now that I've ruined your appetite, aren't you going to go back to bed?"

His demeanor changed immediately. "Can't."

"Why not?" Felicity asked after swallowing.

Roy shrugged. "Why are you up at two A.M. eating that unholy hotdog?"

"I got up to pee, but then I got hungry before I could fall back asleep. Also, I'm pregnant." She took another bite, Roy's eye twitching at the sight. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Why should I tell you?" he replied defensively.

"Why should I tell you anything about the vigilante?" she countered around another bite of s'moredog.

Roy blinked, suddenly eager. "Would you really tell me about the Hood?"

"Did I say that?" Felicity took the seat next to him. "And between you and me, he's not very fond of that name. Not that he's found one he likes. I call him by a few silly ones, but never to his face. My favorites so far are Killer Lime and the Avocado Raccoon—"

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"Slow your roll, fanboy," she said. "You first. Why are you up?"

He scratches the back of his neck. "It doesn't matter."

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you… are you trying to be tough? Are trying to keep from exposing some weakness? Because I'm the last person you should feel the need to be tough around." Felicity munched on her gross hotdog. "Seriously, I'm an awkward nerd and my maternal instinct is cranked to eleven. You don't need to impress me with machismo."

Roy only glanced at her. "I had a nightmare, okay?"

"Yeah, I figured. So was it about the Undertaking?"

He shrugged again, much to her annoyance. "Kinda."

"Come on, Roy! It's okay to be squishy!" Felicity shoved the s'moredog in his face, and he jerked back. "Be soft like these melted marshmallows!"  
"Get that thing away from me,"

"Smushy gushy mushy!"  
"Fine!" he exclaimed, and she put the dog on its plate. "I had another dream about Thea being in danger and not being able to save her. This time it was when all the buildings where collapsing around us and I thought I wasn't going to reach her in time."

Felicity was quiet as she processed his confession. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "I know the feeling."

"You do?"

She patted her stomach.

"Oh," he eyed her curiously. "How often have you been in danger since getting pregnant?"

"Why do you want to find the Hood so badly?"

Roy looked like his heart was in his throat, like this was the moment of truth. "So he can teach me to be like him."

"Because you feel helpless?"

The question startled him. "Helpless?"

"You don't think you can protect the person you care about, so you want the Hood to show you how. It sounds like you feel helpless."

It seemed he's never thought about it that way before. A tough guy like him would just say he wasn't a good enough fighter. But to use such a weak word…

"Maybe," he answered, his voice small. He looked more orphan boy than gangbanger as he wrestled with the assessment.

"Hey," she put her hand on his. "Wanna hear about a time I felt helpless?"

He nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Remember hearing about the Huntress?"

His eyes grew wide. "You met the Huntress?"

"I wish I hadn't. She'd come back to force the Hood to help her kill her father, and she found out about me and what I could do. Found me in his phone, I think. I hadn't been involved in her vendetta until the Hood tried to persuade her to skip town after he broke her out of the police station. Know what she did instead of leaving? She came to me at my office and held a crossbow to my head as I hacked the FBI database. As I searched for the address where her father was being kept, she kept going on about how surprised she was that the Hood trusted me. I'm so weak, I'm so pathetic, blah, blah, blah. And she kept poking me in the head with that damn crossbow, like she was itching to use it. And it got even worse, because she'd seen me hanging out with Oliver. Did you know that Helena Bertinelli used to date Oliver? It was before he and I became better friends, so I'd only heard about her. Man, did she hate that. She really _hated_ that someone like me could be friends with both of them, that they cared about me but thought she was a psychopath. I don't even want to think about what she would've done if she'd known I'd slept with Oliver by that time—"

"You were pregnant then?!"  
"Yes, and I had no idea. Anyway, the Hood found me tied up on my office floor a while later. The Huntress said she wanted to see how much the vigilante cared about me, whether I was a real ally or just a pawn. Oh, and guess what I found out the morning after? The night before was when Oliver and McKenna had had sex for the first time. A night filled with terror followed by nauseating news the next morning. It was wonderful."

"That sucks," he said as Felicity crammed the s'moredog in her mouth. "So what happened with Helena?"

"The vigilante went after her," she said after chewing and swallowing the last bite. "He was going to kill her, but she got away."

"Shit, are you serious?"

"Yep," she said, realizing her hand was still on his and quickly removing it.

"What do you think she'll do when she finds out about the baby?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was saying. She blinked once, twice. Then that hotdog monstrosity began to roil in her stomach like a mighty kraken.

"Oh, no," she took his hand again and squeezed, in need of the minor comfort. "He should've killed her when he had the chance."

"He'll protect you," Roy said with certainty, a look of concern on his face. "And she wouldn't have an easy time getting in here. You're safe."

"I'm safe," Felicity breathed deeply, forcing herself to believe he was right. It wouldn't do her any good to worry; she'd done enough of that in her first trimester. _I'm safe, I'm safe, I'm safe. He'll protect me._

"And I could help if you told me where to find the vigilante," His sneaky comment brought back much-needed humor to the conversation, and it made her smile.

"I don't know where he is, Roy. And even if you did find him, I'm not so sure he'd agree to teach you anything. He'd probably just kick your ass and run away."

Roy gave her his best puppy-eyed look. "But what if you talked to him?"

She pursed her lips and removed her hand from his. "Not happening."

"Couldn't he use some help, though? How come you get to be his only sidekick?"

"You think he likes needing help? Whenever he's come to me, it's been grudgingly. He's an antisocial loner with severe emotional issues. And his voice is scary, too. A guy like him doesn't want a little Mini-Hood following him around."

"Sounds like you don't like him very much."

She adjusted her glasses. "The first time he needed my help, he forced me at arrowpoint. Second and third time, too. Scared the hell out of me. But when I realized I was helping him take down bad people, I was more willing to help him. He got nicer and I got more comfortable with him. That doesn't mean he stopped being dangerous, though. It's like… Have you seen _Life of Pi_?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "The one about the tiger and Indian boy lost at sea? I just know what it's about."

"Well, the Hood is the tiger. I'm pretty sure he only cares at all because he needs me."

"Does he know?"

"Know what? What I think of him?"

He shook his head. "That you're pregnant."

"Oh, right. Diggle told me what Lance said." She bit her lip. "Um… He made a convincing argument. The Hood, I mean. He said he needed me and he'd protect me. Hard to say no when the father of my child seemed uncaring. Oliver was making me feel invisible and inadequate, but the vigilante was doing to exact opposite. I didn't want to be any more alone than I already was, so I kept helping him. And when the Undertaking was over, he made sure I could leave the city."

"So you do like him."

"It's complicated."

"Oliver must've been furious with you," he said, leaning forward on his elbow and resting his chin in his hand. "When he found out Thea and I were tracking down the vigilante, he freaked out. But to know his baby mama was the guy's sidekick—"

"I made it very clear that he can't tell me what to do." she answered curtly. "After everything he put me through, he had no right to be angry. He should've been there for me instead of cowering away from his feelings for me. He broke up with me and pushed me away because he was frightened by how much he loved me. Can you believe that asshole?"

Roy suppressed a laugh. "But you are in love with him, right?"

"Of course I am." Her lips puckered in an angry pout. "Stupid asshole," she muttered, staring at the counter in front of her. Then she stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go back to bed. Night, Roy."

"Wait," he called before she could leave the room. "I've been wondering… Did you have anything to do with the Hood saving me?"

Felicity leaned against the counter. "You mean when that camera-wielding nutcase tied you up in a subway car and tried to shoot you? I was the one who figured out where he was keeping you. And I didn't appreciate you egging him on. I only had so much time to find you and you were begging him to kill you. Do you have any an idea how pissed I was? If you ever call yourself a waste again, I will slap the shit out of you. You got that, prettyboy?"

He blinked at her. "You saved me just as much as he did."

"I suppose so. Which is why I'm not okay with you throwing yourself into danger."  
"I'm not giving up that easily."

Felicity sighed. "Fine. Whatever. Just keep Thea out of it. And if you do find him, the best I can do is keep him from putting an arrow in you."

"Okay," he said dismissively.

"I mean it, Roy. Whatever Oliver told you about the vigilante is right."

"Yeah, like I should take advice about the vigilante from a wimp and a pregnant woman."

Her eyebrow arched, irritated by his insolence. "Keep in mind, Roy," her voice was deadly calm and unsettlingly sweet, a tone she'd learned from her parents. "That the Hood chose me for a reason. And that was before I got pregnant. Now I'm hormonal and stressed as well as deceptively harmless." She leaned in slightly, and she could see his tough shell begin to crack. "So I suggest you march up to your room before I drag you there by your ear like the petulant child you are."

He swallowed hard but refused to break eye contact. "You don't scare me."

"Oh, but I do, Roy," Her lips curled in a small, empty smile. "And I should. Now march."

"I'm tired, anyway." Roy said in an attempt to maintain some dignity as he obediently rose from his seat and left the room.

_Did you see that, Baby Hood? Looks like I have someone to practice my motherly sternness on. _


	18. Midpoint

**I am so very, very sorry about the wait. Severe writer's block.**

* * *

June 27th

Oliver and Felicity held hands as they sat in the waiting room, trying to ignore all the curious glances and excited whispers. Her playboy baby daddy seemed nervous as he stared at the clock, his grip getting tighter by the second. He was even sweating. A dozen armed men weren't nearly as scary as an ultrasound, apparently.

"Do you think a bunch of ninjas are going to drop from the ceiling?" she muttered in his ear. "I don't understand why you seem so anxious."

"Well, for one thing, the city is still more dangerous than usual and I don't even like for you to leave the mansion," he explained quietly. "And I realized that from now on the paparazzi are going to be all over us. So far four women have taken our picture with their phones."

She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. "Anything else?"

He swallowed hard and kept staring at the clock. "I thought it sank in when I saw your stomach, but I'm about to see my kid on an ultrasound. I'm about to find out whether I'm having a son or a daughter." Then his voice got even quieter. "It just feels so real."

"Good real or bad real?"

"Scary real." he admitted, glancing at her baby belly. "Diggle told me about Ed's offer. Makes me wonder if you should've stayed with him instead."

"Oliver, I love you," she started, her voice calm but forceful. "But I will slap that stupid, beautiful face of yours if you say anything like that again."

"At least we already know that Ed's a good father."

"That's why you're so worried?" She leaned in. "You don't think you'd be a good father?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? I was so happy to have you back, and at first the baby felt like an abstract idea. But now I'm thinking of everything I've done and everything I do now… I'm the worst role model ever. I'm a _killer_." Oliver confessed, whispering the last sentence. "I barely qualify as a decent human being. What good will I be?"

Felicity adjusted her glasses. "You're too hard on yourself."

"I don't want our kid to be anything like me."

"Cut the self-loathing crap, or I swear—"

The nurse called her name, and they hurried out of the waiting room. Waiting in the quiet doctor's office was more strained, with Oliver sitting in the chair and Felicity on the exam table.

The door opened and in came Dr. Whetstone. "Hello, Felicity. I hope you've been…" Her jaw dropped at the sight of Oliver. "Oh. Uh, Mr. Queen. Oliver Queen. Oliver Queen is here and looking very nervous. Oh, my. Things are making a lot more sense now."

Felicity and Oliver exchanged a look, the tension between them slightly lessened.

"Well, anywho, let's get your blood pressure checked."

Oliver watched as the doctor did all the necessary tests, and then it was time for the ultrasound. He reluctantly sat by her side as the doctor smeared that jelly stuff all over Felicity's belly with the ultrasound scanner thingy.

He flinched as the sound of the baby's steady, rapid heartbeat filled the room. Worried, he looked to Felicity, silently wondering if it was supposed to be that fast. She smiled and rubbed his arm.

"Oh, here we are. Good position to get a profile."

The couple gazed at the screen. A black-and-white outline of the baby's face showed on the grainy background. Its button nose, its little lips—

"What's that thing by its mouth? Does it have a growth or something?"

That wrestled a giggle from Felicity. "That's its hand, you idiot. It's sucking its thumb."

"_He's_ sucking his thumb." corrected the doctor. "It's a boy."

Oliver and Felicity gaped at the monitor as he took her hand again.

"Congratulations,"

"It's a boy," Oliver parroted dazedly.

"Oh," Felicity squealed. "This means we can name him after your dad!" She noticed him bring his hand to his face out of the corner of her eye. Eyes wide, she looked at him and realized what was happening. "Are you… Are you _crying_?"

"No!" he responded indignantly.

"You are! There're tears in your eyes and everything!"

"I'm not crying."

"Badass Oliver Queen is looking at an ultrasound and _crying_."

"No, I'm not!" he argued after sniffling.

"You're a gooey, emotional mess." She pulled him down so she could kiss his temple. "Just wait 'til you hold him for the first time." His bottom lip began to tremble, and it took all her might not to laugh as he turned towards the wall.

"I'll give you two a moment," said Dr. Whetstone as she turned off the machine and hurried from the room with a smile on her face.

Felicity reached out and stroked her boyfriend's hair. "You okay?"

Taking a deep breath, he rested his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm gonna be a dad."

She kissed the top of his head. "Yes, you are."

"I'll probably be bad at it."

"No, you won't." Felicity replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I honestly don't understand why you think that."

Oliver raised his head. "Because I'm…" He paused, trying to find the right word. "I'm green."

She raised an eyebrow. "And by that you mean… what?" Her fingers laced with his. "Are you referring to your upbringing? Your hobby? The fact that you're new at this?"

"All of that. He could easily end up just as spoiled as I was, or screwed up like me, or screwed up in general."

"Oh, sweetie," She squeezed his hand. "He could never be screwed up like you. Yours is a _special_ brand of insanity."

That got a smile out of him. "Very true,"

"And don't make it sound like being green is a bad thing. I know it's not easy being green, but it's not horrible, either."

Oliver's smile widened.

"Do I need to sing about it? I know a song about being green."

"No, that's okay," he said with a chuckle.

"You sure, Kermit?" She pulled her shirt over her round tummy and struggled into a sitting position with his help.

He kissed her cheek, still smiling. "We should get going. Diggle's waiting for us."

They suffered more attention as they rode the packed elevator down to the parking garage, and a plague of paparazzi and reporters accosted them as they strode towards the limo. Diggle hurried over to protect them from the cackle of media hyenas, which were barking questions at them like a pack of hungry dogs.

"Are you positive that's your baby?"

"Who's the blonde?"

"At which club did you two meet?"

"Is Oliver Queen really going to settle down?"

"Exactly how accidental was this?"

On and on they droned like a scourge of mosquitoes as Diggle shepherded Oliver and Felicity to the car. The pregnant woman "inadvertently" crushed a dropped recorder under her heel and one camera-toting parasite came very close to having his Nikon shoved down his gullet. Diggle managed to fight off the shiver of sensationalist sharks with a few threats and a curl of his imposing fists.

The soon-to-be-famous couple and their trusty chauffeur sat in silence as they sped out of the garage and into the early afternoon traffic.

"Sorry about that," said Oliver. "But it'll definitely get worse, especially when the baby's born."

"We can handle it."

"I sure hope so."

Something about his tone suggested he was referring to more than just avoiding media coverage. She remembered everything he'd dealt with lately, and all of it was grim. Losing Tommy, failing half of the Glades, killing his best friend's dad, knowing his mother was involved in the diabolical plot to destroy the poor part of the city, and the list was probably longer than that. Having a baby was a bright light in his otherwise dark world, but so many things could still go wrong.

"It's going to be okay, Oliver." she asserted. "If there's one thing that'll go right for us, it's this." _It has to,_ she thought.


	19. The Dumbass Who Thinks He's a Badass

July 2nd

That dumbass kid was in trouble again; Felicity could feel it. Well, actually, it was the sound of someone laboring up the stairs that made her suspect he'd been out doing something stupid. He was _so_ lucky it was only the two of them living in their wing of the mansion, considering how pissed Thea would be if she found out where he'd been.

Felicity had woken up at three forty-eight, the infernal numbers glowing on the face of the digital alarm clock. This time it was not due to a rumbly in her tumbly; a _ker-THUMP_ had jostled her into consciousness, leaving her barely awake but too curious to go back to sleep.

She put on her glasses and swept the covers off her increasingly ungainly body before shuffling towards her bedroom door. When she opened it, she saw Roy staggering to his room, the wall a welcome crutch as he stopped to rest.

"Moron," Felicity mumbled as she rubbed her eyes like a drowsy two year old. In the dim moonlight, he seemed almost scared. Funny, really, since Felicity was just a pregnant, nerdy girl in a _Doctor Who_ shirt and _Spiderman _pajama bottoms. Her hair was undoubtedly a tangled blonde mess and her barely-opened eyes gazed dazedly behind crooked glasses. She sniffled and rubbed her nose before plodding over to him.

"I ran into a door." Roy blurted, wincing as he pushed off the wall.

Felicity let out a long, powerful yawn that hurt her jaw. "Helluva door,"

He sighed. "Can you not tell anyone, please?"

"Yeah, whatever." she replied, clutching his red hood and pulling him unceremoniously into her room. "Let's get you cleaned up."

It was clearly painful for him to sit down on the bed, which served him right. He turned on the lamp on the nightstand, and she was able to see just how bad his injuries were. A gash by his eye, a cut cheek, a busted lip, bloody knuckles, and by the way he moved there were surely many bruises hiding under his clothes, which were dirty, cut up, and ripped, blood seeping from most of the tattered holes.

"I think there's a first aid kit under the sink." she said as she shambled into the adjoining bathroom. A minute later she emerged from under the sink with a white box.

"Okay, take your clothes off."

He eyed her warily as she stood up and walked towards the bed, moving back fractionally as she drew closer.

"Pfft,"she scoffed. "Dude, don't flatter yourself. Have you even noticed how insanely hot my boyfriend is? Just take your filthy clothes off so I can get to your numerous wounds."

Rolling his eyes, he kicked off his shoes then tenderly pulled off his jeans. That was taking too long, so Felicity stepped in and yanked them off, causing Roy to bite back a scream. Then she roughly peeled off his resistant hoodie and shirt. He glowered at her as he blinked back tears.

She left him there in his bruises, scrapes, socks, and boxer-briefs as she got a hand towel from the bathroom and soaked it under the faucet.

"You're covered in grime, and I think there's rubble in your hair," she remarked as she sat beside him, noting his irritated look. "And you're getting all that dirt on my comforter. So quit pouting, because it would've been easier for me to let you deal with this on your own."

His expression softened as she began to gently dab his cut cheek. Then she moved to a scrape on his shoulder, shaking her head as she realized this was going to take a while.

"You better not have any broken bones, young man. And if you need stitches, I'm going to slap you." she warned, continuing her careful cleaning of his scratches. "I know _exactly_ what you were doing, and you're lucky to be alive."

"But the Hood has barely been seen since the Glades got destroyed, and someone needs to step up and—"

"That is no excuse! I mean, look at your face! Look at what some thug did to your face. You could've gotten your nose broken, or lost a few teeth, or lost an _eye_.

And it could've been worse! All the psychos escaped prison when the Undertaking happened, did you know that? Pretty thing like you could've become someone's bitch tonight. Don't you chuckle, Roy, I'm being serious. A muscly, three-hundred pound serial rapist covered in prison ink could've backed you into a dark alley and reminded you of one of the many reasons why you stopped risking prison. Yeah, you're not smiling now, are you? Not after remembering that, if you'd gone to prison, you'd be the most sought after bitch in the clink. Now, are you going to do the right thing and promise me you'll never go vigilante-ing again?"

Roy looked like he wanted to be annoyed, but it just wasn't happening. "It's been a while since someone's fussed over me so obnoxiously."  
Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Thea doesn't?"

"She does, but she's cool about it. And she yells instead of scolding like a total mom."

"Yeah, well, next time I'm going to smack you with a wooden spoon." She knelt down in front of him to wipe at the blood around his scraped knees. "Seriously, you should be intimidated; wooden spoons hurt."

"Can't be worse than a belt," he said offhandedly. Before she could process that, he spoke again. "I could sure use someone to teach me how to fight so I wouldn't get pummeled so hard. I wonder who could help…"

His sarcastic tone made her laugh. "I can talk Diggle into showing you a few moves."

That clearly wasn't the answer he was looking for. "No, that's okay."

"He's a bodyguard _and_ an ex-soldier, Roy; I'm sure he could teach you a lot. You could totally get your training montage on, complete with 'Eye of the Tiger' playing in the background. It'd be pretty sweet."

He smiled at that, and for a moment it looked like he was about to agree. Instead he changed the subject. "So, have you ever done this for the Hood?"

"Patch him up?" Felicity paused, smiling at a memory. "Well, there was this one time… I found him bleeding in my backseat. It was just after Mrs. Queen shot him—"

"She _shot_ him?!"

"Yeah, it was when he confronted her. She pulled a gun on him and started shooting. Surprised him, apparently. Anyway, I was leaving work late and there he was. The wound was deep, but it wasn't fatal, and I had to stitch him up. Thankfully, she'd just grazed him. It was about right here—" She sliced a finger high on the right side of her ribs. "—and sewing someone's skin together is really gross, by the way. And he was so growly the whole time, mostly because he hated having to rely on me like that. Such a lone wolf."

"So… does that mean he had to take his hood off? Did you see his face?" he asked with barely restrained eagerness as she finished cleaning the grime from his wounds.

"I was very respectful and didn't look up," she answered curtly. Then a blush crept into her cheeks. "I saw him shirtless, though. That was definitely something."

"Tons of scars?"

"Only one or two brutal ones, actually. He's that good, I guess. And no tattoos. I was totally expecting tattoos, but I didn't see any. Not even a skull or something badass like that. I was a little disappointed."

"Did all this happen in the back of your car?" he asked before wincing as she used rubbing alcohol on his cheek.

She smiled like she had a secret, more to mess with him than anything else. "Can't remember,"

"Aw, come on!"

"I mean _maybe_ we went back to his secret lair, but all I remember is the feel of his taught, muscular body." she said, all breathless and melodramatic.

"I'm surprised it didn't turn into a scene from a romance novel." Roy joked as she taped a square of gauze to the abrasion on his shoulder.

"Maybe it did," she muttered quietly without realizing it.

Roy gawked at her. "_No way_."

It was her turn to wince. "I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did. I can tell."

Dammit. She'd been doing so great at lying, too. Oh, well. "Don't tell anyone, please."

"You had sex with the Hood!" he exclaimed in a screaming whisper. "Wait, I thought you said you've never seen his face?"

"Still haven't."

"Holy _crap_,"

"And it was just that one time." Felicity began patching up the rest of him. "It was just a… thing. That happened. Granted, it was an amazing, supremely hot thing that happened, but just a thing."

"You had sex with the Hood," he repeated dazedly. "Weirder still, he had sex with _you_. No offense, but—"

"Yeah, I'm not his expected type. Totally aware of that."

"So, are you guys…?"

"No. We care about each other, but that's it. He has the emotional range of a teaspoon. Probably less than that, actually. He's pretty chill about killing people. And about having sex with me. He just _went_ for it, you know? Like a wolf on a rabbit—"

"Felicity, ew."

"Oh, sorry."

"When did that happen, anyway?" he questioned, lifting his arm so she could bandage a cut on his side.

She shrugged. "Like a day before V—" Felicity pursed her lips, her eyes wide.

Roy's eyes widened, too. "Before what?"

"Veteran's Day."

"Bullshit."

"No, really!"

"You had sex with him one day before you had sex with Oliver!" He stared at her stomach, his jaw dropping. "That could be—"

"Shush!" she demanded, slapping her hand over his mouth. He groaned in pain when she hit his split lip.

He replied with a series of mumbly sounds that probably translated to "That could be the Hood's baby!"

It seemed she had lied to the point of accidentally implying the truth. Dammit dammit dammit. Frustrated, she removed her hand from his mouth. "I just need to take care of your knees and we're done." She quickly rifled through the box for the big waterproof Band-Aids.

"You know, if I didn't like you so much, I'd probably use this as blackmail to make you help me find the Hood."

She whipped her head around angrily, expecting a smug look on his face. What she found was sympathy. It actually made her tear up a little, knowing how badly he wanted to find the vigilante. Damn hormones. "That's sweet, Roy."

"Yeah, I have my moments." He fished a Band-Aid out of the box and applied it himself. Felicity did the other, and they were finally done.

"Alright," Felicity announced as she shut the box. "Get out of my room, you dirty hoodlum. The pregnant lady needs her sleep."

Roy slid off the bed and slowly knelt down to gather his clothes. "What, is Baby Hood gonna come out here and kick my ass if I don't?"

She couldn't help smiling. "That's what I've been calling him. I mean, up until I decided to name him after Oliver's dad."

Struggling, Roy held onto the bedpost to avoid getting on his knees. "Did the Hood think… you know, when you told him…?"

"I told him about Oliver, and he went along with it. And Oliver's the one I'm in love with anyway, so…"

"Guess we just have to hope the kid's not born wearing a green hood."

She nodded. "Fingers crossed,"

Watching him toil was too much, so she gathered the rest of his things and helped him stand. Then she walked him to the door.

"Now go to bed, Roy," she commanded, gingerly shoving him out into the hallway.

"You can't tell me what to do!" he retorted indignantly, a joking undertone in his voice. "I'm going to watch TV."

"Yes I can and no you are not." she replied matter-of-factly.

"The hell is going on?" They turned to see Oliver walking towards them. "Roy, why did you come out of her room in your underwear?"

Felicity stifled a giggle. It was hard to see his many injuries in the dim light, so the situation appeared to Oliver as something else entirely.

"This so isn't what it looks like," she explained, trying not to laugh. "Roy went out and got his ass handed to him, so I was cleaning him up."

"Hey!"

"Oh, please, Roy. Like no one was going to notice in the morning. Off to bed."

He did as she said, but he clearly wasn't happy about it. She smiled at him fondly before bringing her attention back to her boyfriend.

"Nightmare?"

"Maybe,"

"Okay, tough guy," She kissed his nose. "I'd appreciate a cuddle buddy tonight, anyway."

"I'm no one's cuddle buddy," he said in his Hood voice, but she could just make out the slight upturn of his lips.

"Okie dokie, sextoy," she said with a shrug. "I just want to get to bed. You comin' or what?"

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a deep kiss. "So long as we don't go to sleep immediately."

"Mmmm," Why did he always have to be so yummy? "Deal."


	20. The Tender Trap

July 8th

Being let out of the mansion for something other than a doctor's appointment was nice, but Felicity still felt uncomfortable walking into such an expensive restaurant. Table Salt wasn't really her scene; she would've been more comfortable at Big Belly Burger.

Oliver squeezed her hand reassuringly as they were led to their table. Felicity looked around at the uppity-up couples and businessmen, some of which looked back in surprise and interest. A few phones even came out. She took a deep breath and prayed no paparazzi would show up.

Her baby belly was cumbersome, making it difficult to slide into her seat gracefully. She had to brace a hand against the table as she sat down. A blush rose in her cheeks from embarrassment, and she frowned at the realization that things would only get harder as the baby grew.

"You look beautiful," her boyfriend said, and he clearly meant it. He sat across from her, totally dashing in a dark blue suit. The compliment, along with his smile, made her melt.

"Thanks," She adjusted her glasses and looked away shyly. "I think your mom and sister deserve some credit, though. They helped me get ready."

Moira and Thea had curled her hair, found a dress that accommodated her stomach, loaned her jewelry, and applied her makeup. Before all that, Felicity and Thea bonded while painting their nails. Thea liked her bi-colored style and mimicked it with two opposing shades of blue. Felicity's own were a soft pink and a bold magenta.

"They took to you quickly," He seemed pleased by that. "There've been days when either my mom or Thea wants you all to themselves."

Felicity's smile softened at the comment; some of those days were emotionally charged. Thea told her how afraid she was for Roy and what they'd gone through the night the Glades was leveled. She begged her to never give in and help Roy find the Hood and to always be there for Ollie.

Moira had teared up when confessing how happy she was to have her around, then sobbed remorsefully over the terrible things she did for Malcolm Merlyn. Eyebrows raised, Felicity silently watched Moira pace the bedroom floor while blurting all her pent-up pain. She had to protect her family. Felicity understood that, right? She knew mothers needed to protect their children. Then she started rambling about the yacht, regretting how hard she pushed Robert to defy Malcolm, convinced that if he'd played along longer then the yacht wouldn't have been sabotaged and Oliver wouldn't have suffered on that island. Then she had to order thugs to torture information out of her son. Did she _want_ to do that? No. But if she hadn't, Malcolm wouldn't have been satisfied. And she had Walter kidnapped to protect him! Not that he understood that. He just kept digging and digging and Malcolm would've killed him if Moira hadn't stepped in. Court had been more understanding than her family had, appreciating her shocking press conference and naming of names. Losing face and admitting her sins had kept Queen Consolidated afloat. It was all _her_. She had endured everything alone. She swallowed her fear and shouldered the responsibility and washed blood from her hands. How could she talk about any of that with her children? How could she say any of that without making them ashamed of her? How could she make Walter understand if he refused to listen? It all ended with Felicity giving her a consoling hug and voicing her agreement.

What was it with Queens, anyway? Why did they feel compelled to tell her their secrets?

Felicity was shaken from her reverie when the waiter arrived with the wine list, then realized they didn't need it. He stammered an apology and took their order.

It also brought her attention to the many looks they were getting. Some people seemed to be laughing at them quietly and making jokes.

"Despite all the unwanted attention, I think this date is going well." remarked Oliver, trying to ease her nerves.

"And it was very nice of you to take me on a real date for once," she responded cheekily. Her eyes flicked to movement over his shoulder and she quickly looked down. "Oh, crap."

"What?"

"Don't turn around!" she muttered insistently. "It's Karla."

He shrugged. "Who's that?"

"Karla Connors. She's this—she works in Human Resources at QC."

"So?"

"Do you remember the night of, um… round two?"

Oliver smirked. "That's a good way to put it."

"Well, before I left work, she asked me to help her get your attention."

"Yeah? What did you say?"

"For one thing, I'd never help a bitch like her snag you—Not that I said that. Um, I told her that I do more than just fix your computer."

"Which is completely true,"

"The next day, she brought her friends to my office to laugh at my ridiculous claim. I convinced them I was kidding."

He raised an eyebrow. "But you weren't."

"I guess she knows that now,"

Shaking his head, he looked back at the cold-hearted harpy. Then he flinched and turned back around. "Perfect. She's with Max Fuller."

She drummed her fingertips on the table and waited for an explanation.

"I slept with his fiancée at the rehearsal dinner."

"Wow, you were quite the selfish bastard before I met you," she stated as an objective observation.

"Last time I saw him he punched me and tried to have his bouncers beat me up."

"Last time I saw Karla she 'accidentally' spilled coffee on my new blouse. I think you win."

"We're not going to let them ruin our night, are we?"

"I want to 'accidentally' club the both of them with a bottle of wine."

He allowed himself a moment to laugh at the visual before taking her hand across the table. "You know why we're here, right?"

"For pasta?" she answered, playing dumb.

"Other than that,"

"Your mom said the steak tartar is really good,"

He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Felicity, five years ago, I was so terrified of having a serious relationship that I cheated with my girlfriend's sister to get out of one. Even when I got back from that island, I never thought I could ever have anything close to what I have with you—"

A flash of light blazed to his right and they looked to see a guy rapidly taking their picture. Damn paparazzo must've snuck in from the back. It was a digital camera without a giant lens that his kind normally used, easier to hide under a coat. Knowing she couldn't hit him, she reached out and smacked the camera from his hand, watching happily as it tumbled to the floor. Then Diggle came charging in and scared him off.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening," Diggle said while placing the camera in front of Felicity.

The bodyguard left and the couple sat there knowing that the mood was ruined.

"Um…"

"Sweetie, I don't need a speech. And please don't get down on one knee." She leaned forward as much as her belly would allow. "_Of course_ I'll marry you, Oliver. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I've only been putting off my response because planning a wedding and having you meet the rest of my family sounds more painful than childbirth. And I know that marrying you would have to be some huge event and I'll have to squeeze my fat, pregnant body into a white, designer dress and complete strangers will be taking pictures and judging me and insinuating that I trapped you into marrying me so if this is going to happen I am _begging _you to see that it happens quietly."

He stared at her, his expression blank. "I only heard up to 'Oliver.' Was the rest important?"

She smiled. "I just babbled about how much I love you for your money."

"Oh, okay," he responded with a playful smile. Then he pulled a small black box from his inside pocket and set it next to her new camera. On it were a vertical stripe of black and gold squares and the letters "HW."

He looked on excitedly as she opened it.

"Woah," Her jaw dropped at the monstrous pear-shaped diamond. "That is… that's pretty big."

"It's 5.68 carats in a platinum setting. Do you like it? If you'd rather have a different shape then we can go—"

"It's perfect." She slapped the box shut and held it to her heart. "It's so, so perfect, Oliver. I love it."

He beamed. "Then put it on,"

"I should put it in a safe. And then I should put that safe inside of a bigger safe."

"It's meant to go on your finger."

Reluctantly, she put the box on the table and opened it again. Oh, how that ring sparkled. She plucked it from the cushion and slid it on her finger.

"How do I look?"

"Like a Queen."

"You dork,"

"Hey, that was clever!"

As her newly adorned left hand held his firm right, the whispers around them turned into squeals and gasps as people saw the rock and realized what happened. Then they were surrounded by applause, which included the waiter once he set their plates in front of them.

After dinner, Diggle helped them push past the media mob and get in the car. As he drove the limo home, Oliver and Felicity cuddled in the back seat.

"Can the wedding be in your backyard, please? And can we only invite a few people?"

"That's not really how the Queens throw parties."

"Pretty please?"  
"I think you'll have to take it up with Mom and Thea; they'll be more hands-on than I will."

"Okay. I'll state my case tomorrow, then."

"Why not when we get home? I'm sure they'll want to talk to you."

"I can't because as soon as we get home, I'm having sex with you," she stated firmly, looking him in the eyes.

He gave her his best cocky smirk. "Really?"

"Yes. And all I'm going to wear is this ring."

"What about your glasses?"

"I'll just feel my way around."

Felicity liked Oliver's newfound gentleness, even if she did miss him smashing her up against the wall and pinning her there with little more than the pressure of his hips. They were on their knees on the bed, her hands bracing the headboard while he took her from behind. As promised, the engagement ring was on her finger.

Pretending that nothing special had happened at dinner almost felt naughty; they had entered the mansion and were greeted by curious looks, but the ring was hidden in her purse and the couple was free to hurry upstairs.

The news could wait until morning.

His beard scratched her shoulder as she pulled him closer, her hand on the back of his neck. She hummed low when his fingertips dug into her inner thighs, his solution to stifling a grunt. He felt so powerful yet restrained as he moved, and she pictured what he must look like right now. Mmmm, his Greek-god figure with all its toned muscles moving under beautiful scarred skin, working in perfect rhythm…

And then there was her ballooning body. Her stomach was bigger than the average woman's would be at twenty-two weeks and stretch marks already marred her hips and lower belly. She felt pudgy and awkward and fragile. The juxtaposition she and Oliver created made her laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" he breathed.

"My luck," She stared at the startling brilliance of the pear-shaped diamond as she said it.

Oliver ran his thumb between her legs, grinning when she yelped happily. "I think your luck is pretty good, considering all that's happened."

She pushed back and he moaned, which turned into a chuckle.

"Are we really playing that game? Because you always lose."

Felicity gripped his hips with both hands and rolled against him with a surprising amount of grace. "Not always."

Their eyes locked, each challenging the other to their favorite game. Then Oliver covered her mouth with a deep kiss. Their tongues dueled as his hands cupped her enlarged breasts. His breathing quickened and she thought she had him this time, but he was suddenly thrusting forcefully inside her. Before she could counter he had her moaning loudly through an orgasm. He followed seconds later.

"I think you fight dirty," she mumbled as he helped her lay on her side.

He smirked, his head nestled in his pillow. Her baby belly was between them. "You nearly had me that time. I know I must've been blurry, but I like it when you look me in the eye like that."

"My husband likes eye sex," she commented. "I'll remember that for future reference."

"Do you remember that time shortly after you joined? I was going after a guy on the list and you thought I was going to kill him and orphan his kid? You locked the door on me and I stormed in and yelled at you. You were so defiant and you just stared me down. I got right in your face and you didn't flinch. If Diggle hadn't been present, I think I would've apologized and taken you on the floor."

"Now that I think about it, that was pretty hot. I'll make sure eye contact is my opening move from now on."

"So, what's my—"

"No, you don't get pointers."

He grinned cheekily. "You're right, I don't need any."

She lazily, harmlessly smacked his arm. "Arrogant bastard."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

Felicity laced her fingers with his, the diamond glinting. "And that's never changing. So don't bother running off on me or pushing me away like before, okay?"

His cheeky grin melted into something sweet. He looked so happy and vulnerable. "I'll never leave you again."

"Ever?" she asked honestly as he brought her fingers to his lips.

"Ever. I'm pretty sure that's what the ring means." He turned her hand and watched the diamond catch the moonlight. "See that? It means you're stuck with me, no matter what hell we put each other through."

"If you're not leaving, I'm not leaving." she said, reminding them of the last time she'd told him that.

"Exactly," He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "But without the 'if'."

* * *

**(Love is) The Tender Trap by Frank Sinatra.**


End file.
